This is a strange one - today I was contacted by a person claiming to be from the Neo Fraud Department stating that there had been some suspicious activity on my account in the last 12 hours and that he had some questions regarding flight tickets to Dubai, purchases at Walmart, and a few others that all totalled more than $4K (All very false). He knew my name and address. I double checked the callers number and I can confirm that it came drectly from Neo. I even called the number back and it went to the Neo call ctr. So I became a little concerned that ny card was compromised - he varified my address - and knew the first six digits of my card. He wanted to confirm that he was talking with me and I needed to confirm additional information such as my address (What was my postal code as already knew my address) and the remaining numbers on my card. This sounded very legit - trust me, my antenna was up. This call took 12 plus minutes. He mentioned that these unknown charges were not allowed and he said that a new card would be on its way in three days. Okay - no worries then, crises averted. After all that he wanted all the information on the card saying that it was now cancelled - he also wanted me to check now to see if there were any issues with my account which I refused to do. He then asked for the CV number which I refused to give. He got fustrated and I hung up. When I got home and I checked my card was still active which I quickly cancelled. So… the callers number was legit but I am not sure if this was legit or not, Crazy.
Well it sounds like they spoofed the number and had some of your information. These criminals are getting far too advanced for my liking but you did the right thing by cancelling the card for sure.
If your ever unsure. Ask for an extention number and call the number on the card. If they cant provide that then they probably spoofed.
Yeah, numbers are very easily faked. Don’t put any faith in those.
Here’s my thought on this… You don’t ever confirm anything to anybody… Here’s why, if it was the fraud department, they would already have your information, Your address and postal code name phone number credit card number etc. And while you’re actually talking to them, I would go log into neo and freeze the card.
Over and over again, we’re told do not give out information to people that are calling you, don’t make it any more complicated than that.
Credit card statements have a lot of information, and it almost looks like they were trying to get you to fill in the blanks , well, actually, the stuff that was “x” out.
Another thought that came to my mind is… They could have easily acquired your name, by calling you at some point prior and somewhere along the line encouraging a callback, if you have your name and phone number on display with area code? They could start looking up your number and match to a name etc,they may not have all the details but enough to get you to believe " that just may be this is legit"
Again, you do not fill in the blanks for anybody.
@RNewman Ah, that must have been number spoofing, as mentioned by @MaggieJoh . That sounds really unsettling, and unfortunately scammers seem to be getting smarter by the day.
You did the right thing by trusting your instincts and not providing the remaining card details or your CVV. Fraudsters can spoof phone numbers to make a call appear as though it’s coming from a legitimate organization, which is why it’s always important to be cautious when receiving an unexpected call about your account.
As a reminder, Neo will never ask you to provide your full card number, CVV, PIN, one-time verification codes, or passwords. If anyone requests this information, DO NOT SHARE IT.
A good rule of thumb is that if you’re ever unsure, end the call and contact Neo directly using the phone number listed in the app or on the back of your card. That way, you can be confident you’re speaking with the right team.
It’s also great to see members sharing tips and best practices here. Staying cautious and never providing sensitive information during an unsolicited call can go a long way in protecting your account.
I’m going to build on this a bit more because it’s not common knowledge, but the first 6 digits of a credit card are standardized. This is the BIN (Bank Identification Number). We should all ASSUME fraudsters know the first 6 digits of our credit cards.
You can publicly look up BINs on sites like this to confirm which issuers they’re associate with.
You handled that well. Your
Story is a valuable cautionary tale. I’ve been there. They are good, and if you are not present, as you were, it may have cost you.
Thanks! The odd part to complete this whole story is that I now know this guy’s personal phone number. When they used the Neo number as the front facing call- when the scammer hangs up his number remained on my phone. I did call it and I got his voice mail. I considered calling the Canadian fraud squad but all I really have is that I received a call at the time and there is no other proof/details.
You should absolutely share that information. Perhaps you will save others on his list. Very fortunate he made the mistake. Make him pay for it.
Uhhh should we scam him in return? Is that vigilante justice?
No, report him, and hopefully he will be dealt with along with whoever he works with or for.
Yes, exactly! Every BIN is tied to a specific bank and Neo Financial only has so many BINs, so it’s really easy for a fraudster to just look up Neo Financial’s BIN.