What they do:
I received a letter from "CCS 1st National Card" in the mail today stating that I had been approved for a credit line of $6500 and all I had to do was call and "activate" the card. At first, I thought it was just another credit card company wanting new customers because I get Visa, Mastercard and American Express ads in the mail all the time.
This letter was different, however. Generally, REAL card companies DO NOT just send you a new card unless you've applied for one and have been approved, but this one had the new card with my name on it (spelled incorrectly) right in the see-through window of the envelope. You also do not need to retain the letter which was included in the envelope to activate a credit card because it has the activation phone number right on it, but this one said that it was very important to retain the letter because it had a special "approval code" on it.
It also said in fine print that you would be required to pay a fee of $200 to be a member of the CCS 1st National Card organization, which is bogus.in other words, you're supposed to just magically get a brand new credit card with a high limit in the mail, activate it with a special "approval code" and then PAY $200 to these people as a membership fee!
What it looks like:
The card I received looked like the work of some high school kid who happened to get ahold of a card making machine. Placed side-by-side with a REAL card, you can very clearly see some obvious mistakes!
For one, it doesn't even have a Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express or any other financial institution's logo on it besides the fake 1st National Card logo and some reflective globe inside an oval box.
Secondly, your name will probably be spelled incorrectly. Third, there is no security code on the back. Fourth, the magnetic strip is only half as big as it should be and the area for the signiature is plain, white and in the place where the strip should be.
Fifth, it has some cheesy picture of a city skyline imprinted on the front. Any person who's ever had a real credit card should be able to tell the difference!
The ridiculous fees:
$200 or $199.99 activation fee, it changes the amounts back and forth. Credit Protection and Security Guard fees of $99.99 a year
Annual Membership fee of $198 for the first year and $99 for every year thereafter.
Rush processing $29.99
Late payments $15
Returned checks $20
Minimum monthly payments of $300
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I can't even fathom as to how this could sound like a good idea to anyone who receives this fraudulent card but apparently SOMEONE has fallen prey to it or else they wouldn't continue doing it. These things make me MAD. People going to extreme lengths to rip people off when they could just get a job like the rest of us! Please report this to your post office so that they will be aware of the scams they're supporting!
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