How to handle "AR22/Call Voice Center"

 
A new phishing tax scam is making the rounds. The email we saw includes a realistic looking IRS logo and falsely tells recipients that they are entitled to a refund of $63.80.

The phishing site they are sent to asks for social security numbers, as well as bank info. The purposes are identity theft and financial fraud. Never click on these links, delete the email, the IRS doesn't send tax refund notices via email.

Another tax scam involves scammers posing as IRS agents calling victims and saying that their "good credit and timely filing of tax returns qualifies them for no-obligation government grants."They say that because the taxpayer is such a "good citizen", they are going to receive a $10,000 grant from the government that they don't need to repay.

Naturally, the scammer only needs your bank account info to electronically deposit the money. And of course, the grants are for a limited time only, so the taxpayer must act quickly.

 
Drachenstein Treasures, at www.dragonsjewels.com specializes in jewelry, medieval clothing, Crowns, coronets, and decorative metalwork. The crowns are really impressive, I would consider wearing one here in the office, but I fear my "Subjects" would revolt!

Frank D., the  owner of Drachenstein Treasures took our system in the field and says: "Just finished our first show using the Pocket Verifier - absolutely no snags - perfect coverage.  The show was in the Katrina damage zone where they had replaced all the towers with the new digital towers, our old analog system would have cost us a mint. So many merchants found their old systems worthless and ended up either voice authorizing their sales or gambling with the manual imprinter...Your system teamed with a Treo 650 is a power house.  It was also great not having to walk about, like other merchants,  holding a Nurit in the air like the Statue of Liberty looking for a signal, or having to do voice authorizations on your cell phone - and being charged for it. I couldn't be happier - Thanks!"

2) Have the customer call the 800 number on the back of his credit card, identify himself, and ask his bank to remove the restriction on his card!  Remember- the card was DECLINED by HIS bank, the problem is REALLY between your customer and their bank, you should not have to pay more for his bank's decision to watch a particular card.  After he has called and resolved his issue(s), just swipe the transaction, and get a "clean" authorization!

2 cont.) Transaction Central users can just go to "Transaction Detail Report" and in the right hand column, press "Resubmit" for that transaction, after the customer has called his bank and gotten squared away.

3) Just ask the customer for a different card, possibly the easiest option of the three.

The next time you are in the field swiping, or taking a card in your office, and you get the "Declined- Call Center" message, you won't have to scream in anguish.... you know what to do!

One thing to remember, this is a "Decline", and the card may very well be fraudulent!  If the customer hesitates or refuses to call and identify himself to his bank, you might want to think twice about taking any other card he may have.  Check his Identification carefully

Actually, this should be "Sad but True".  By week six of 2006 already there were reports of almost 300,000 credit cards exposed. And then there's the 600,000 Social Security Numbers and over 50,000 records with enough data to enable full-blown ID theft.

Ameriprise Financial exposes 226,0000 Social security numbers because someone stores them on a laptop in the trunk of his car where someone can (and does) help themselves to the laptop.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina prints Social Security numbers on mailing labels and tosses over 600 of them in the mail.

Not to be outdone, The Boston Globe and Worcester Telegram & Gazette wrap 240,000 bundles of newspapers with IT department printouts - complete with Social Security Numbers - and distribute them for all to see.

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