CONSUMER ALERT- ATTORNEY GENERAL WARNS SOUTH DAKOTANS OF CREDIT CARD SCAM 

(Pierre) – Attorney General Larry Long is warning South Dakota consumers about a telephone scheme that tricks consumers into divulging personal credit card information. 

The phone call begins with a representative claiming to be your major credit card provider such as Visa or MasterCard with no mention of an issuing bank. They will imply that the phone call is a warning for fraudulent activity on your card with charges ranging from $300 to $500. Once they have gained your trust, they will begin to probe for credit card numbers and will not limit the request to just those numbers on the front of the card. The credit card numbers will then be used to fraudulently purchase items. 

“The best protection against these types of telephone schemes is to always verify the identity of the people who are calling,” said Long. “If someone contacts you by phone about your credit card, ask the caller to provide name and department, and before giving any information, call the phone number that is listed on your credit card or billing statement to verify the legitimacy. If the caller refuses to give this information, then just hang up.” 

If you have been a victim of this scam contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or consumerhelp@state.sd.us.