A Christmas gift scam to watch out for.

[mdunn]

It is the gift giving season and that provides scammers and schemers a new opportunity.

I am lifting this completely from Snops.

They list it as Daze of Wine and Roses.

Here is what it is.

Scam: Thief uses credit card info gained during delivery of flowers and wine to empty mark's bank account.

Here is how it works.


Hi everyone,

I want to let you all know that Frank and I have been the victims of credit card fraud this week and felt I should warn you all about the clever scam. It works like this:

Last Wednesday I had a phone call late morning from Express Couriers to ask if I was going to be home as he had a delivery for me. He said he would there in roughly an hour. He turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and wine. I expressed my surprise as I wasn't expecting anything like this and said I was intrigued to know who was sending me such a lovely gift. He said he was only delivering the gift and the card was being sent separately (the card has never arrived).

There was a consignment note with the gift.

He went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol he has to charge the recipient $3.50 as proof that he has actually delivered to an adult, and not left it on a door step if the recipient is out, to be stolen or taken by children.

This seemed logical and I offered to get the cash. He then said that the company required the payment to be by Eftpos (short for Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) so he's not handling cash and everything is properly accounted for.

Frank was there and got his credit card and 'John' swiped the card on this small mobile machine that also had a small screen upon which Frank entered in his pin number. A receipt was printed out and given to us.

Between last Thursday and Monday $4,000 was withdrawn from our credit account at ATM machines in the north shore area. It appears a dummy credit card was made using the details in the machine and of course, they had Frank's pin number.

The Bank has stopped our cards and I've been to the Police this morning, where they confirmed that it is a definite scam and many households were hit during the first 3 days of October.

So PLEASE be wary of accepting a gift you're not expecting especially if the card is not with it. We've all received gifts like this and would never dream that it could be such a despicable act.



Variations: A version circulating in 2012 completed with this coda:
WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package", which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything if you do not personally know and/or there is no proper identification of who the sender is.

Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction! NEVER SWIPE YOUR CREDIT CARD ON ANY MACHINE UNLESS THE FIRM IS KNOWN TO YOU.
Origins: The victim's account quoted above began circulating on the Internet in mid-October 2008. While many of the forwards now identify the defraudment as "occurred in the North Vancouver Area" or "happened to our friend who lives in North Vancouver," in actuality the crime took place in Sydney, Australia between 1 October and 3 October

2008.

During that brief span, the thief, posing as a delivery man bearing flowers and wine, robbed ten Sydney residents of $32,000. As described in the e-mail, he would telephone potential marks, announcing that he had a delivery for them, then shortly thereafter arrive in a white van emblazoned "Express Couriers" on its side. (Express Couriers is a non-existent company.) After presenting them with flowers and wine, he would ask for credit or debit card payments of $3.50, which he would then run through a wireless EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) machine set up to skim not only the cards' numbers but their PINs as well. Later that day, he would proceed to drain the accounts associated with these cards at local ATMs.

The robber was apprehended a few weeks later during a traffic stop on the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway and charged with ten counts of fraud.

Last updated: 17 July 2012

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/fraud/sales/ex...43s4WbDrwZL.99

[duff beer]

I can't believe people still fall for the "you won a free gift, you just have to pay a small fee" scam.

[George Bailey]

It's actually a very well thought out scam. I guess the moral is to only do business with trusted vendors, and in cases like this one should demand to pay cash or just pass.

[mdunn]

Originally Posted by duff beer

I can't believe people still fall for the "you won a free gift, you just have to pay a small fee" scam.

This one is not done over the internet. It is face to face at your front door. The thief invests in real flowers and real wine which he delivers to you. When he finishes and gets back in the delivery van you have the gifts and he has your personal information.

[GHS]

The scam, ( if its not an urban legend type of thing) is based on the fact that most people are greedy and cant help "getting something for nothing".

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by mdunn

This one is not done over the internet. It is face to face at your front door. The thief invests in real flowers and real wine which he delivers to you. When he finishes and gets back in the delivery van you have the gifts and he has your personal information.

I know...I read the original post.

[SongwriterFan]

I need to go get a debit card made for the account I only keep $25 in.

[MikeBmusic]

The "$3.50 to show its was really delivered to an adult" thing is such a giveaway that its not real.
I'm glad my 83-year-old mom does not use a debit card account, because she surely would have been scammed many times in the last few years.