An Amarillo resident was recently the victim of a credit card scam, so it's best every Texas Panhandle resident know how to protect themselves from it.

APD White Collar Crimes Squad wants to remind residents about a form of fraud based on a secured credit card offer.

The scheme seems to be targeting people that have a recent bankruptcy.

"The letter from what is presented as an FDIC member bank in Florida congratulated the victim on the discharge of debt under a bankruptcy, and offered a “semi-secured MasterCard” as a way to begin establishing credit. The company asked for “fully refundable one time deposit”, with a cashier’s check preferred, to obtain a card with a limit well in excess of the deposit. The offer letter states that after 12 months of payment, the deposit is returned, with interest. In this case, a gas card worth $250 was offered as an incentive to enroll. The victim called the “bank” at an 800 number provided and spoke to someone posing as a bank employee, who assisted him with the offer. The victim sent a check. After his check was cashed but he received no card, he called the number listed. He was initially given reasons for the delay. In a subsequent attempt to contact them, he found that number was no longer valid. The firm’s web site could not be located. After the loss, it was learned that this firm is not listed with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and that it has an “F” rating and an alert warning on the Better Business Bureau’s web site. It’s easy to protect yourself from this type of scam. Calling a telephone number or even checking a web site address provided by the business does not verify that a business is legitimate. A check of the business through an Internet search engine showed that others have described this offer as a scam. A check of the BBB web site (www.bbb.org) easily showed a history of failure to respond to complaints and an alert that would notify a perspective customer to be wary. Though this offer looked good on paper, complete with a page full of fine print, a working telephone number, and corporate logos, the victim is now out several hundred dollars with little chance of recovery."

If your club, business, or organization would like more information about avoiding scams and fraud, contact the Amarillo Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit at 378-4257. They provide some good fraud and scam prevention presentations and information.

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