Please prevent Phone Bill Not Paid Phone Scam
Source: admin Release Time: 01:52:41 2018-09-12
Phone scammers often pose as staff of companies, government departments or financial institutions as a means of fooling people into handing over their personal details. The scammer calls and claims is a representative of your telephone company, whether that's Rogers, Verizon, Telus, Telstra, etc. Very official, he says you didn't pay your last bill, and your service is about to be disconnected. “It is $95 to pay now, but if you want to reconnect at a later date, it will be $179.” You're smart so you might not trust him. However, as you ask him to prove himself, he says: “By all means. If you don't believe me, we're going to interrupt your phone service for two minutes. Hang up and try to make any phone call you want”. You hang up and when you pick up again – no tone! You hear nothing. Your phone is dead, and he is right! How is this even possible if he is not a real agent? Using these types of scare tactics can be highly effective. Once the scammer informs you that your phone will be cut off if the balance is not paid, they will ask if you are ready to make a payment. Some people will comply with this payment request due to the fear they have of getting their phone disconnected. Giving the scammer your credit card information, agreeing to wire money, or purchasing pre-paid gift cards and giving the caller the information on the cards, could lead to a substantial amount of money being lost. It is typically very difficult to trace where these calls are coming from, as many times they originate outside of the United States. This in turn makes it impossible for victims of this scam to recover the money that they lost. If you do receive a suspect call, do not provide the caller with any personal or financial details. If you are unsure about a call, the safest course of action is to:
1.Ask for the caller's name and department details and then terminate the call. 2.Find a legitimate contact number for the company either in a bill or other official documentation or a telephone directory. (Don't use a contact number provided by the caller). 3.Call the company and ask to speak to the original caller by name. This strategy should effectively derail any scam attempts and also allow you to deal with the issue in the event that the call was actually legitimate.