Email requesting credit card scan

BlackEdelweiss

I made an order online yesterday from a company I have delt with before. I got the following email supposedly from them yesterday.

Hi,
Thank you for ordering from RedWolf Airsoft. In order to ensure the validity of our transactions, we will conduct verification of orders with customers from time to time. For order# xxxxxxxx, please kindly note we will need a copy of the following documents prior the order can be proceeded:
1. a copy (BOTH FRONT AND BACK) of the credit card used
2. a copy of cardholder’s driving license / identity card / passport
The copies will need to be COLOURED, please kindly make them in CLEAR resolution, and as BIG as possible so our verification team can process it for you right away. We will make sure to ship the products right after the verification process is completed. And as a friendly reminder, please DO NOT send details by fax, but email instead, you can either scan or take photos of them. Please be reminded that the credit card needs to be signed, otherwise it won't be valid. Thank you.
We look forward to completing the order for you."

Can anybody shine any light on this, is this legal or does it sound like someone either has access to their or my personal details.

joujoujou

I'd never share such a big amount of private data with anyone. If you REALLY want to purchase from them, better ring them and ask what's going on - use contact details from their webpage, not from email. Otherwise, walk away and buy somewhere else.

It is a possibility that email is not from them, so spoofing in fact.

Edit: looked at their website, they're in China, right? Also, they accept paypal, so just cancel your order, put another one and pay by paypal.

Never heard of that in all my years of online shopping. If they don't want your money look elsewhere. You shouldn't have to do all that in order to buy something off them.

looksee

Whether it is legal or not, I would run a mile from it! Use Paypal, why give your credit card details to anyone unnecessarily?

rubadub

If I got such an email I would email them back, I would not simply click reply as it may go back to the potential scammers, I would look up the site for the contact email.

I would say something like.

"I got this email and think it might be a phishing scam which you should be aware of, if this email is genuine and from yourselves I thought you should know I will not be ordering with credit card as I am unwilling to give out such information, I will pay via paypal instead. I would also worry you may be losing other customers as it has all the hallmarks of a scam".


They will typically make less profit off paypal orders, I would not bother saying this as it sounds sort of like borderline blackmail

Beano

Used to be common a long time ago in the early days of online buying. Especially with german websites as credit card use is less common over there. The advice given by rubadub is spot on.

BlackEdelweiss

This is the reply I got when I emailed them back via the form on the website.
"Thank you for your reply. We are sorry to have caused you the inconvenience here, but please note this verification is actually, just a normal security measure, to protect our company as well as our customers against fraudulent credit card activities on the internet.

We understand your concern on your personal information, but please be assured that RedWolf Airsoft has always been treating customers’ privacy with utmost respect. Please view our privacy statement for details: http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/popMsg.jsp?msgID=8

By the way we’re very welcome customer to use Paypal payment, please kindly consider and please feel free to place new order using this payment method. We will hold your order until getting further confirmation."

The privacy statement mentions nothing about this kind of request. I dont understand why any company who spends money on a payment system to encrypt peoples data for security would then ask for a photo of the credit card, front and back. This must be the most unsecure thing I could do bar giving them my mothers maiden name and the name of my first pet along with it.

They are a Hong Kong based company I think and are fairly reputable within this market. I posted elsewhere about this and no other customers have recieved such a request.

delahuntv

Of course its legal - what could be illegal about asking for information?


Its up to you to decide whether or not to provide it.

If you know and trust the company - there's no issue. If you are unsure use paypal.


The company is 100% responsible if a fraudulent transaction takes place - so if you use a stolen card, and they ship the products, and afterwards its found the card was dodgy, then the money is taken from their account immediately and to get it back they have to prove it was a genuine transaction.

Many websites now have to use Mastercard Secure or verified by Visa to protect against fraud.