The
way the scam works is that a fraudster calls pretending to be from a
home security agency, cruise line, or social security firm and they will
use phrases like "Are you the lady of the house?"; "Do you pay the
household telephone bills?"; or "Are you the homeowner?" Once they get
that recorded answer, they will go through the sales pitch and explain
that the unsuspecting victim has already agreed to pay for the product
or service. Scammers will play back a person's verbal confirmation and
threaten to take legal action if they try to deny the charges. Many
scammers are targeting the elderly, who are more vulnerable.
Adam Levin, Chairman and Founder of CyberScout and author of "Swiped" says "consumers
should be on high alert for this scam, especially the elderly and
vulnerable communities. Once the scammer has your recorded yes on file
they can combine it with with credit card data or personally
identifiable information they may already have to to authorize
fraudulent charges. If you receive this type of call, hang up. Check
your accounts for any suspicious charges and sign up for transactional
monitoring from your bank. Use a free service that blocks robocalls.
Research the organization and look for negative reviews on BBB and
report the scam to the FTC. Never give out personal or financial
information over the phone and never authenticate yourself to an
unsolicited caller."
ADAM LEVIN
Adam K. Levin is
a consumer advocate with more than 30 years of experience and is a
nationally recognized expert on security, privacy, identity theft,
fraud, and personal finance. A former Director of the New Jersey
Division of Consumer Affairs, Mr. Levin is Chairman and founder of CyberScout (formerly IDT911) and co-founder of Credit.com. Adam Levin is the author of Amazon Best Selling Book "Swiped", now out in paperback.
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