Check Your Debit, Credit Card Statements For “BLS WebLearn” Scam Transactions

blsscamA lot of times when someone gets a hold of someone’s credit or debit card info and decides to use it for illicit purposes, the ID thief makes as many charges as possible in a short period of time. But some scammers choose to chisel away at victims’ accounts in the hopes that the crime will go unnoticed.

In the last week, there have been a flurry of complaints online about mysterious transactions attributed to a company called “BLS WebLearn” with a phone number of 888-461-2032.

The charges made by this company are relatively low in value, hovering in the $10-15 vicinity.

Over at DailyKos.com, one writer recently shared his story about how the scam started as a questionable transaction for $12.96 and ended with his bank account being cleaned out. According to this unfortunate soul, the source of the original purchase was supposedly in Malta, but once the scammers realized that this credit card number was legitimate, someone in The Netherlands enjoyed themselves with his funds.

We attempted to call the number associated with this transaction but it only leads to an automated recording that promises to be with you shortly. Matt Ryan at 94.3 FM in New Jersey had the same non-result when he tried to call.

A Consumerist reader tipped us off to the scam after she noticed a strange $10.37 debit transacation on her Chase statement this afternoon. Luckily, she noticed before any further purchases were made.

“Sadly, I’m without a debit card until Chase gets me a new one in two business days,” writes the reader, who says she has not used her card at any Target stores in years. The same is true for the man in the Daily Kos post.

This is just another reminder of why, in this age where too many consumers don’t notice if a few dollars go missing, it’s important to check your bank balance and credit card statements every few days.

We’d like to know how widespread this scam is, so if your statements turn up fraudulent BLS Weblearn transactions, shoot us an e-mail at tips@consumerist.com with “WEBLEARN” in the subject line. We may ask you some follow-up questions, but won’t ask you for identifying account info and will never publish any information that could be used to identify you.

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