Month: December 2020
State, federal agencies warning of scam Amazon and Apple calls
- Updated
The Michigan State Police and Federal Trade Commission are warning Michigan residents of a phone scam where the callers are claiming to be from Amazon and/or Apple.
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission announced scammers are calling people, posing as both Amazon and Apple representatives and claiming there is a suspicious purchase, lost package, unfilled order or an issue with Apple iCloud accounts. In both scenarios, police said the scammers say a person can “press 1” to speak with customer service or provides you with a number to call.
Police said people should not do either because it is a scam. The purpose is to attempt to steal personal information such as account passwords or credit card numbers, according to police. If a person gets an unexpected call or message about a problem with any account, the police said they should hang up.
If a person believes there is a legitimate problem with their accounts, they should contact the company using the correct contact number for customer service and support.
In recent information released by the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Education Specialist Alvaro Puig stated these callers are trying to rip people off. Even if a person is on the National Do Not Call Registry, scammers don’t care. The best defense against unwanted calls is call blocking, according to the FTC.
Which type of call-blocking or call-labeling technology you use the FTC said will depend on the phone whether it’s a mobile, traditional landline, or a home phone that makes calls over the internet.
Call blocking technologies or devices can stop a lot of the unwanted calls you get such as scam calls and illegal robocalls before they reach you, according to the FTC. Mobile phones, landlines, and home phones that use the internet each have their call-blocking options, but the FTC said people also need to understand call-blocking services could block some legitimate calls.
For more information about how to do this go to www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-block-unwanted-calls.
Got a Zoom invite? BBB says it could be a scam
Zoom video chatting has exploded in popularity thanks to the pandemic, but that popularity has given way to potential scams.
Published: Nov. 26, 2020 at 5:52 PM EST|Updated: Nov. 27, 2020 at 7:44 AM EST
The Better Business Bureau reports that a scam surrounding the video chat service Zoom is going around.
How the Scam Works
BBB says victims will receive an email, text or social media message out of the blue that includes Zoom’s logo and a messaging saying something like “Your Zoom account has been suspended. Click here to reactivate.” or “You missed a meeting, click here to see the details and reschedule.” You might even receive a message welcoming you to the platform and requesting you click on a link to activate your account.
Scammers registered more than 2,449 Zoom-related domains from late April to early May this year alone, BBB said.
To avoid the scam, BBB gave some tips:
- Double check the sender’s information. Zoom.com and Zoom.us are the only official domains for Zoom. If an email comes from a similar looking domain that doesn’t quite match the official domain name, it’s probably a scam.
- Never click on links in unsolicited emails. Phishing scams always involve getting an unsuspecting individual to click on a link or file sent in an email that will download dangerous malware onto their computer. If you get an unsolicited email and you aren’t sure who it really came from, never click on any links, files, or images it may contain.
- Resolve issues directly. If you receive an email stating there is a problem with your account and you aren’t sure if it is legitimate, contact the company directly. Go to the official website by typing the name in your browser and find the “Contact Support” feature to get help.