Seniors at Risk for Scammers Seeking to Snare Passwords
Americans of all ages are logging on to computers in ever-greater numbers to conduct online banking and other financial transactions. Recently, AARP published tips to help seniors better protect their...
View ArticleDid You Order a Virus?
FedEx is warning about fraudulent e-mails claiming to be FedEx tracking messages. But instead of real shipping information, this attachment carries a nasty computer virus. Be sure to review the...
View ArticleCard Security Tips for the Savvy Summer Traveler
With the summer vacation season in full swing, it’s important to keep a few security tips in mind when it comes to traveling with payment cards. While most payment card transactions go through without...
View ArticleDon’t Make a Scammer’s Vish Come True
Like its sibling “phishing,” in which a fraudster uses bogus emails and websites to trick you to enter valuable personal data and credit card numbers, vishing is a new trend that uses phone calls to...
View ArticleFraud Targeting Small Businesses
It is encouraging when anyone posts an opening for a job, especially when that poster is one of America’s hardworking small businesses—the backbone of our economy and the key to a robust recovery. It...
View ArticleSMiSh Smash, Avoiding a Text Scam Bath
Recently, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office reported that it has received hundreds of complaints from consumers who received text messages attempting to gain access to bank accounts and...
View ArticleHelp Celebrate National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Itâs also the first anniversary of launching Fraud News and the VisaSecuritySense.com website. The theme for National Cyber Security Awareness...
View ArticleProtect Yourself From Online Tactics
Tired of being charged for things you didn’t think you signed up for? A tactic known as a “negative option” is sneaking into more and more online transactions. In case you didn’t know, negative...
View ArticleSmall Businesses Fraud Tips from the Better Business Bureau
We recently came across this great set of security tips posted online by the Better Business Bureau. It was such a perfect reminder of all that is at stake, and the relatively simple steps each small...
View ArticleGet a Password Makeover for Stronger Security
Chances are, the password you’re using isn’t very strong. If you're like a large percentage of people identified in a survey on password use, you change passwords infrequently (if at all) and use...
View ArticleDon’t be a Turkey this Thanksgiving: Be aware of discounted gift card scams...
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just a few days away, itâs an opportune time to remind shoppers that there are some gift card discounts you should be weary of. While gift cards are budget...
View ArticleEpsilon Email Security Breach
In a security breach, online marketer Epsilon has fallen victim to a hacker who gained access to client names and e-mail addresses from numerous well-known U.S. companies and institutions. Luckily...
View ArticlePhony White House e-Card Causes Holiday Hangover
A story by security blogger Brian Krebs serves as a reminder that one can never be too careful and that even tech-savvy professionals can be taken in by clever deceptions. Just before Christmas, a...
View ArticleCharity Scams: Reach Out, Be Smart
A recent blog post on Forbes.com highlighted, sadly, that criminals have been quick to jump on the tragedy in Japan as an open invitation to commit fraud. People around the world have received spam...
View ArticleCurbing the “Data Pass” Tactic
U.S. Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-WV), recently investigated an aggressive marketing practice known as “data pass.” Here’s how it works: you check out as you usually do from a familiar retailer,...
View ArticleSniffing Out a Charity Scam this Holiday Season
A devastating earthquake. A flash flood. A tender holiday plea to help a child in need. Some stories are almost beyond belief and the human tragedies are equally difficult to comprehend. Others tug at...
View ArticleNew Year, Renewed Vigilance to Online Fraud
As we were browsing Visa’s “Practical Money Skills” recently, we came across this article which reminds us why card security is so important these days, especially at this time of year. The holiday...
View ArticleCyber Thieves Can Make Social Networking Risky Business
Social networking can keep us connected to family and friends and help us stay in touch with news in real time. However, todayâs cyber criminals can view social networking sites as rich and valuable...
View ArticleHow Not to Get Speared by Phishing
These days, almost everyone communicates with their banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions via email. This makes the potential for electronic scamming—also known as...
View ArticleHow to Deconstruct a Social Engineering Scam
Let’s say you are a fraudster who wants to illegally access someone’s bank account or credit card, which do you think is easier: trying to guess the password, or getting the owner to tell it to you?...
View ArticleDid I Really Miss Jury Duty? (Or Was I Just the Victim of Identity Theft?)
Word is spreading of a new wave of an old sort of identity fraud. This type preys upon our collective civic responsibility. In this sting, a caller claims that you have failed to report for jury duty...
View ArticleHave a Holly, Jolly, Fraud-free Holiday
Much has been written lately about holiday fraud. This recent post from Javelin points out some lesser-known facts, separates a few identity-theft myths from reality, and reminds us we must be extra...
View ArticleWatch Out for Phishing Emails Purporting to Come from the BBB
The Better Business Bureau recently issued an alert warning businesses and consumers about and email phishing scam that appears to originate from a bbb.org email address. The fraudulent email asks...
View ArticleKeep Your Holiday Happy: Tips for smart, secure online shopping
The holidays are here and many shoppers are choosing to stay in and log on to get their Christmas shopping done. But when shopping from the safety of your own home, be careful to safeguard your...
View ArticleMerchants Getting Snagged by Phishing Hook
There has been a trend in e-mail "phishing" scams aimed not at the usual suspects â consumers â but instead at merchants. Fraudsters are using e-mails that look as though they are from legitimate...
View ArticleSuper Bowl-bound? Read These Tips Before Planning your Trip
Planning to watch the big game live? Avoid the spate of Super Bowl scams that make the rounds this time each year by keeping the following tips in mind: Tickets: Avoid ticket scams by buying your...
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Think you know how to catch a phish?
March 4 â 10 marks;National Consumer Protection Week across the U.S. In support of this important week, weâre introducing @VisaSecurity on Twitter. Much like what we try to do on this website,...
View ArticleHang Up on Fraud
From time to time we receive reports from consumers letting us know theyâve received a telemarketing call from someone claiming to be from Visa and asking for personal information like a credit card...
View ArticleHow We Help Protect Consumers in the Event of Third-Party Data Breach
When Visa becomes aware of a data breach at a third-party that handles payment card information, our first priority is to protect cardholders. We work closely with the breached entity and issuing...
View ArticleAre You Sharing Too Much Information Online?
Equipped with enough personal information, identity thieves can wreak havoc with your finances, take over your bank account or make purchases using your payment information. According to a new study...
View ArticleGlobal Payments Phishing Scam
We recently heard reports that, in the wake of the Global Payments data compromise, some scam artists are taking advantage of the news to try and extract card payment information directly from...
View ArticleSun, Sand and Scams: Beware of the Timeshare Resale Scam
Do you own a timeshare property? Be warned; that unsolicited telephone call informing you that thereâs a buyer interested in your vacation property might be coming from rip-off artists in what could...
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Guest Blog - My Phishing Story: Close Call Proves Customer Education is Critical
By Tracy Kitten, Managing Editor, Bank Info Security There's a limit to how much a banking institution or other organization can control when it comes to preventing online fraud. My personal...
View ArticleLinkedIn Member Password Compromise
Yesterday LinkedIn announced that the log in credentials to membersâ accounts were compromised. According to the New York Times, around 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords have been posted to a hacker...
View ArticleSimple Steps to Protect Your PIN
Payment cards have made shopping and banking across the globe faster and more convenient than ever before. While the incidence of fraud within the Visa system is at near historic lows, criminals are...
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Guest Blog – You on Twitter? So are scammers.
By John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications & Fraud, National Consumers League Many consumers find the popular social media site, Twitter, useful for staying in touch...
View ArticleBe Smart About Sharing Personal Information Online
One of the great modern marvels of technology is the ability to connect with large numbers of people across the globe â instantly. With one click, you can post pictures, updates, your...
View ArticleElection Season Scams
The U.S. presidential election season is fully underway, and that means plenty of business for pollsters, pundits, advertising agents and, according to the Better Business Bureau, scammers hoping to...
View ArticleRetailer Security Focus: Help Protect Your Business from Skimming
Criminals are actively targeting merchant point-of-sale (POS) terminals for âskimming,â a technique that involves transferring payment card data and PINs to another source. The perpetrators then...
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Guest Blog – Visa Partners with FCC to Release Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0 to...
By Jordan Usdan, Acting Director, Public Private Initiatives, Federal Communications Commission Small businesses are more dependent on the Internet than ever before, but 83 percent donât have a...
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Cyber Crime Twitter Chat Recap
Last week we joined the National Cyber Security Alliance, Department of Homeland Security, and Washington State Patrol for a Twitter chat on cyber crime. Moderated by @StopThinkConnect, the chat gave...
View ArticleSecure Holiday Shopping Tips
American shoppers spent $41.9 billion online in the third quarter, a 15 percent increase over the previous year, according to a November 2012 report by comScore. If the trend continues, this holiday...
View ArticleVisa Phone Phishing Scam Alert
Fraud Avengers has reported that scam artists are posing as Visa or MasterCard representatives to trick consumers into providing the three digit security code on the back of their payment card....
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Did that really come from Visa? Don’t be fooled by these phishing scams!
Criminals are always looking for new ways to trick consumers into handing over their personal or financial information. A favorite fraudster tactic is to use the name of a recognized company or...
View ArticleGrowing Phishing Industry Underscores Need for Consumer Education
Phishing scams have plagued consumers for a number of years, morphing to adapt to changing trends and technologies. Once perpetrated by mail and phone, this tactic is now also common by email and text...
View ArticleNew Phone Scam Targets Entrepreneurial Consumers
Visa recently became aware of a new phone scam, promising entrepreneurial individuals the ability to make a fortune without leaving home. This is a new twist on a familiar get rich quick ploy. In this...
View ArticleBeware of the Pitfalls of Public Wi-Fi Connections
Guest Post: Jason Alderman, Senior Director for Financial Literacy, Visa Inc. Ever notice how many people walk down the street completely engrossed in their smartphones and tablets? I fully expect to...
View ArticleVisa Security Summit 2013 – Crowd-Sourcing a New Solution to Consumer Education
By: Jennifer Fischer, Head of Americas Payment System Security Did you know that consumers spend more than two hours a day in mobile apps? That’s nearly as much time as people spend watching...
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OMG, 2 much info!
Visa publishes consumer oversharing data in time for National Cyber Security Awareness Month By: Jennifer Fischer, Head of Americas Payment System Security A new national survey published by Visa today...
View ArticleSimple precautions for purchasing tickets for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter...
Talented athletes from across the globe will gather in Sochi, Russia for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games from February 7-23, 2014 and for the Paralympic Winter Games March 7-16, 2014. While an...
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