Interesting cell carrier scam involving a "fraudulent device purchase"

[cabmandone]

I received a call yesterday from someone claiming to be with the Verizon fraud department. They had my name, address and obviously my phone number.

I was told there was fraudulent activity on my account and that an iPhone and iPad were purchased but sent to an address in TX (Ronnie I'm lookin at you!). They said my account was probably hacked while using a hotspot. I was told my account was locked and I was given a new login password and said they were going to send me a text with a link. They said they were going to monitor my account for more fraudulent activity. At that point the red flags are flying, sirens are screaming and there's a robot in my car waving its arms saying Danger! Danger! I said to the person, how about before we do that you prove you're actually with Verizon? He starts saying things so I say Hold on, let me ask you some questions, or better yet I'm going to hang up now and call Verizon. He persisted but I ended the call and called Verizon. Sure enough! No fraudulent activity.

Haven't heard of this one before but seems like someone was trying to get some new devices on my dime.

[rfuerst911sc]

The spammers are a crafty bunch , always willing to sink to a new low .

[wdfifteen]

Good job Nick.

[masraum]

Interesting. Yeah, that one is new, and sounds like it is likely to work on lots of folks.

[MBAtarga]

Don't trust any email, text or phone call!

I read somewhere in the past 2 days a similar scam regarding a bank account. Caller claimed to be with the bank and had the last four acct numbers, etc. Said they were sending a code to their phone to confirm security. Person called had concerns and was thinking this was a scammer. They asked how they can call the bank and talk to the person, etc. The caller got frustrated etc and eventually gave up. A call to the bank confirmed there was no issue.

[GH85Carrera]

I received a call from an 800 number and she said there was possible fraudulent activity on my credit card, and they need to verify the purchase. I replied "what is your extension number, I will call the number on the back of the card". She gave me an extension, I called the number on my card, and punched in that extension. Same lady answered. She asked if I was in Italy purchasing a full scuba diving set of equipment. I assured her, I was at home, and I will never buy scuba gear. The shut down that card, and send a new card via FedEx.

I had one call from a scammer claiming my PayPal account was in need of updating. I knew it was pure BS. and I kept him on the phone asking stupid questions, and had to think hard as to the next stupid question. He gave up after 20 minutes and I was trying hard not to laugh.

[masraum]

I took your story, did a small amount of editing, and posted it to facebook which is a mix of family and IT guys. I figure my family, especially the older folks, but also the younger ones needed to hear about this. It was a new one on me. People are, I think, usually so much more prone to trust someone that has called to tell them that they are getting screwed.

[rwest]

I got a call from my cc company yesterday saying there was suspected fraud detected on my account. I had just tried to buy something with PayPal and my cc is my first payment method and it wasn’t going through, so likely it was a legitimate call, but as soon as they started asking for personal info, I hung up and called the number on the back of my card and sure enough it was a legitimate call, but now I knew for sure.

[sc_rufctr]

I received a spam/scam call this morning on my mobile.

It was instructed to "Press 1 for English or 2 for Chinese". I did nothing and after about 10 seconds they just hung up.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I received a spam/scam call this morning on my mobile.

It was instructed to "Press 1 for English or 2 for Chinese". I did nothing and after about 10 seconds they just hung up.

Since you didn't press anything, they assumed they hadn't gotten a person.

[cabmandone]

My favorite robocalls are the ones you hear a "boop" or a sound like a bubble popping and then the person comes on. I have a lot of fun with those. Sometimes when I get a spam call I'll press the number for Spanish and then explain to the person I don't speak Spanish.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by masraum

I took your story, did a small amount of editing, and posted it to facebook which is a mix of family and IT guys. I figure my family, especially the older folks, but also the younger ones needed to hear about this. It was a new one on me. People are, I think, usually so much more prone to trust someone that has called to tell them that they are getting screwed.

Did ya keep the part about the robot waving its arms and saying danger danger? Because young folks will be like "what the hell?"