Scam Alert: Involving Credit Cards

Credit Card Scam
NLA has received a fraud alert from our credit card processor, Elavon, which is part of U.S. Bank Corp. It applies to everyone who accepts credit cards.

Thieves are using stolen credit cards numbers to order materials usually via fax, email, or operator assisted (hearing impaired relay) call. Sometimes they will say that a shipping or trucking company, which is part of the scam, is picking up the material at your facility. At other times, they will ask you to deliver the items to an open or vacant lot, saying that the materials are for a "start-up" development; or they may ask you to ship smaller items via UPS or a similar service. Other "red flags" include (a) the customer requests for the merchant to process the transaction while on the phone, (b) the customer is in a geographical location that is out of the ordinary [in another state], (c)the customer asks for the authorization codes(s) or proof that the cards went through, and (d) they often use multiple card numbers which are almost identical except for the last few digits.

Even when an authorization code is obtained, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover will not guarantee payments for non-card swipe transactions. Therefore, if you don't know who's ordering material from you, it is prudent to have them come in and swipe their card. If they cannot, please contact your voice authorization department and perform a Code 10 authorization prior to processing the transactions. The telephone number for Voice Authorization may be located on the side of your credit card machine, or can be obtained by contacting customer service. It is recommended that you always use Code 10 procedures prior to shipping any product to an unknown customer.
As always, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.

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