Scammers are taking phishing attack low tech in a scheme targeting Barclays customers, claiming that a recall has been issued for customers cards because their EMV chips could explode.
The crooks are sending out letters in postal mail instructing users to return their debit and debit cards via mail and to include their PIN numbers for “verification purposes,” according to an Aug 17 Malwarebytes report.
“Many of our bank costumers have reported that their debit cards have caught fire while they are in wallets and purses, and so as a precushion we are issuing an URGENT safety recall,” the scammer's letter read. “This is a matter of the uppermost emergency as your card could create a pocket fire at any given moment, burning your legs and stomach terribly.”
The phony letter went on to attribute the combustions to a fault in the factory process at the bank's debit card factory in the fictitious town of "Molton Keynes." The scammers said the EMV security chips are prone to explode when near power sources such as microwaves due to a chemical change in the petroleum used in the plastic of the card.
The scammers then continue to instruct the user to fill out a form requesting their personal information.
