A scam fighter shows you how the game is played
Two steps forward, one step back, says the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The agency is getting an abundance of calls from consumers who are complaining abouta new twist on the impersonation scam.
After the Im from the government angle wore out its welcome, scammers are now taking a new, layered approach. The first thing out of their mouths is that theyre with a certain company and theyre contacting you about a routine problem, like suspicious charges on your Amazon account, a virus on your computer, or an account breach.
But, thats just their intro. Then, their story quickly escalates: They say your name has been connected to serious crimes and they say the court is about to seize the money in your bank account or retirement savings. Both are big fat lies.
Next, they switch from being the bearer of bad news to acting like the hero. How? By supposedlyconnecting you to someone with the government to 'help'you fix the problem, Alvaro Puig, a Consumer Education Specialist with the FTC, says.
But the person they transfer you to doesnt work for the government. And they dont help. They want to trick you into taking cash out of your bank or retirement account and giving it to someone.
Memorize these three key points and save yourself some agony
After watching this new wrinkle play out for a couple of months, the FTC is encouraging consumers to make sure they understand the three key elements of this new version of the impersonation scam:
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Scammers try to convince you theyre with the government to gain your trust by faking the caller ID to make it look like a government agency is calling.
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Scammers give you an employee ID or badge number or use the name of a real government employee.
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Scammers send official-looking letters with seals and make up government agency names that sound real but arent.
And it cant be said enough that if its really someone who works for the government, they wont tell you to get cash or gold and give it to someone nor will they tell you to pay with a gift card, a wire transfer, payment app, or even cryptocurrency.
They wont tell you to keep your conversation a secret or to lie to anyone, Puig reminds consumers. They wont tell you to transfer money from your accounts to protect it or for any reason. Only scammers do those things.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-06-17 17:57:04