A new Verizon deal scam is making the rounds, and this one goes above and beyond trying to appear legit.
According to a Reddit post by one affected Verizon customer, they received a call from Amazon Web Services, or AWS. Normally, this alone would raise alarm bells, but not everyone can identify red flags like this. This customer attended the call because they do business with AWS and thought this was a call related to their work.
Here's where it gets scary. The person on the other end of the call began mentioning Verizon lowering the customer's bills. This scammer also knew the name of the customer they had called, account details, and even how much this person's last bill had totaled up to.
The customer went along with it all, as they were now curious whether this was really a call from Verizon. Then they started to get text messages from the Verizon number that they get notifications from, which finally prompted them to turn to online forums to ask whether this was all real.
As the customer points out, why would Verizon use a service like this during a time of heightened scam attempts. Verizon wouldn't. This was a scam.
Scams can cost Verizon, and any other network's users, millions of Dollars.
Scams can cost customers millions of Dollars a year. Some scams have become an industry worth billions. If you ever fall victim to a scam like this one, you may lose all of your money, personal data, or worse.
Once a customer loses money to a scam, they also tend to argue with representatives of their carrier. These arguments are fueled by rage, and only ruin another person's day. It's unheard of to get back money stolen from you by falling victim to a scam.
This scam may be very easy to identify if you know the signs to look out for. According to the Verizon customer who made the post, these traits can help identify a scam call.
Poor English communication skills
Calls from odd numbers or names, like Amazon Web Services
Scammer reciting your account details without being asked to
Asking you for a document or other record linked to your Verizon account
The last point is especially important and worth paying attention to. When the scam caller is done reading off your account details to score your trust, they then ask you for a document or other form of information.
This document or data is usually the missing piece of their puzzle, with which they can fully access your account and drain your wallet dry. The notifications on your phone from a trusted number is a very clever method, but a little common sense and trusting your gut will keep you protected.
Just to be on the safe side, it's worth changing your My Verizon password after a scam call like this.
Images courtesy of Verizon
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