Fraud Alert: Huge Credit Card Scam Hits Visa/Mastercard Cardholders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 16, 2005 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shari Thomas
www.whois-sharithomas.com
Ph: 503-488-5734

Would You Miss a $30 Charge on Your Credit Card Statement?

Forest Grove OR, Mar 14, 2005: Beginning mid-February 2005, mysterious charges have appeared on thousands of Visa/MasterCard accounts for "phantom" purchases. The company is called Pluto Data Ltd, possibly originating in either the UK or Cypress.

To date, thousands of cardholders have found first a ping amount of either .01 or $1.00 followed within hours or days by a purchase for either $29.99 or $39.99. The product is supposedly a DVD of varying titles. Shipping addresses are all over the US and phone numbers typically from still a different state. No products have been received.

The company acting as their call center, AnswerQuick in Baton Rouge, LA says they (AnswerQuick) are innocent and have terminated Pluto Data's account.

My own business partner discovered the charge on our company card on March 8. Upon calling the card provider, she was informed she will have to fill out a long, involved form in an attempt to recover the money. She has cancelled the card, requesting a new card be issued.

You are urged to carefully check Visa/Mastercard credit and debit cards for unusual charges. When found, call your card provider, and demand that they remove the charge and cancel your card. To date, the card providers are reluctant to treat this as a fraud, rather placing the burden of proof squarely on the cardholder.

For additional information, including the link to a very large forum thread about this fraud, contact:

Shari Thomas
2607 21st Ave #22
Forest Grove, OR
Ph: 503-488-5734
www.whois-sharithomas.com

###

More information can be found online at http://www.askshari.com/index.php

     cc     credit card     Fraud     mastercard     pluto data     SCAM     visa