SCAM ALERT (serious)‏

 Hi,

Be alert, I might have sent this to you before and if I did, pls delete. Otherwise, please read and forward to your other friends and people you care about. It  is as always better to be safe than sorry.



Latest credit card scam.
Please pass this on to  everyone you know...

This one is pretty slick since they  provide Y O U with all the information,
except the one piece they want.
Note,  the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.
This  information is worth reading.  By understanding how the VISA &
MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to
protect yourself.

One of our employees was called on Wednesday from  "VISA", and I was
called on Friday from "MasterCard".

The scam works  like this: Person calling says, "This is (name), and
I'm calling from the  Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number
is 12460.  Your card  has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and
I'm
calling to verify.   This would be on your VISA card which was issued by
(name of bank) did you  purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for ￡497.99
from a Marketing company based  in London ?"   When you say
"No", the caller
continues with, "Then we will be issuing a  credit to your account.  This
is a company we have been watching and the  charges range from ￡297 to ￡497,
just under the ￡500 purchase pattern that flags  most cards.  Before your next
statement, the credit will be applied to your account.  I just need to confirm your address (gives you your address), is that
correct?"

You say "yes".  The caller  continues - "I will be starting a
fraud investigation.  If you have any questions,  you should call the number listed on the back of your card and  ask for the Security & Fraud Department.

You will need to refer to this Control Number.   The caller then gives you a
6 digit number.  "Do you need me to read  it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works  the caller then says,
"I need to verify you are in possession of your card."  He'll ask
you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers."  There are 7
numbers; the first
4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify
you are the possessor of the card.  These are the numbers you sometimes use  to
make Internet purchases to prove you have the card.  The caller will ask  you to
read the 3 numbers to him.  After you tell the caller the 3 numbers,  he'll
say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been 
lost or stolen, and that you still have your card.  Do you have any other 
questions?"  After you say, "No," the caller then thanks you and
states,  "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.

You  actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card
number.   But after we were called, we called back within 20
minutes to  ask a question.  Are we glad we did!  The REAL VISA Security
Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of 
￡497.99 was charged to our card.

Long story -  short - we made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. 
VISA is  reissuing us a new number.  What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN
number on the back  of the card.  Don't give it to them.
Instead, tell  them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for
verification of their  conversation.  The real VISA told us that they will never
ask for anything  on the card as they already know the information
since they issued the card!   If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN
Number, you think you're  receiving a credit.  However, by the time you get
your statement you'll see  charges for purchases you didn't make, and by
then it's almost too late and/or  more difficult to actually file a fraud
report.

What makes this more  remarkable is that on Friday, I got a call from a
"Jason Richardson of  MasterCard" with a word-for-word repeat of the
VISA scam.  This time I  didn't let him finish.  I hung up!  We filed a
police report, as  instructed by VISA.  The police said they are taking several
of these  reports daily!  They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this
scam  is happening .

Please pass  this on to all your family and friends.  By informing each other,
we  protect each other.

ALSO, GENUINE BANK FRAUD OFFICIALS USUALLY ASK VERIFICATION QUESTIONS BEFORE STARTING, EG DATE OF BIRTH ETC

Sent by Bern

奥巴马效应席卷全球

奧巴馬（Barack Obama）於2009-01-20，在國會山莊廣場宣誓就任美國第44任總統，正式成為美國史上首名擁有黑人血統的總統

分析/奥巴马效应席卷全球 民众认同度高星岛环球网 www.stnn.cc

2009-01-20 　　
奥巴马就职成为美国史上首任黑人总统，全球各地都对这位美国新领袖充满期待，希望他能带领全世界走出经济困局。尽管众多分析家都警告对奥巴马期望过高是不切实际，但各国政府及海外国民普遍热烈支持这位新贵，全球报纸头版及电视新闻近日都充斥奥巴马的照片，“奥巴马效应”势不可挡。

　　星岛新闻集团消息，西班牙《国家日报》（El Pais）大字标题：《美国梦上台》（The American Dream Comes to Power），配以奥巴马和第一夫人米歇尔的图片。西班牙首相萨帕特罗相信，“奥巴马效应”可以缩短全球的经济衰退期。

　　萨帕特罗说：“我认为，如果奥巴马的新政府令人产生信心，经济危机时期会较预期为短。我们可以见到反弹速度会超出预期，这是信心问题，因为全球经济基础是稳健的。”

　　德国总理默克尔期望和奥巴马新政府紧密合作。奥巴马今年4月将会两度到访欧洲，参加国际经济危机会议及北约高峰会。

　　英国首相布朗指出，中东问题应该是奥巴马优先处理的外交要务，其它领袖则希望奥巴马加快处理气候变化及对抗贫穷的问题。

　　与此同时，英国广播公司（BBC）一项访问了17国人民的民调指出，奥巴马上台将能改善美国和世界其它国家的关系。67%的受访者相信，奥巴马可以增强美国对外关系。调查发现，受访者认为奥巴马优先要处理的外交事务应是把美军撤出伊拉克、其次是对抗气候暖化及推动中东和平等。

　　由于奥巴马是美国史上首任黑人总统，非洲人顺应成章地对他的期望最高，多达87%的加纳人民支持他。其次是意大利、德国、西班牙及法国的国民，支持率都超过70%。

　　除了美国外，这项调查还在中国、英国、德国、法国、意大利、西班牙、日本、俄罗斯、加纳及尼日利亚等十多国进行。




花絮/占星家：奥巴马将遇三次暗杀 可逢凶化吉
星岛环球网 www.stnn.cc 2009-01-20
【星岛网讯】缅甸53岁占星家山·扎尼·蒲19日预测，奥巴马今明两年和2013年将遇到暗杀阴谋，但都可逢凶化吉，逃过暗杀行动，而且能在下届大选连任。

　　香港《文汇报》报道，蒲说：“狮子座（奥巴马的星座）天生就要领导他人，他的牌显示出帝皇之兆。”。他认为奥巴马生于8月4日，代表“在4日出生的他领导下，国家将会发达”。

　　蒲解读星象后警告，奥巴马会在2009、2010和2013年遇上“某种暗杀企图”。然而，因他生日日期和星座之故，暗杀注定失败。他又预测，准国务卿希拉里可能要面对潜在威胁。