The internet makes it easy for criminals to reach out from anywhere to illegally obtain your money or personal data—and a retired police officer is pointing out some of the most dubious ways scammers use smart phones to trick innocent people.
Dave has spoken directly with hundreds of scammers in an attempt to understand what they do, so he can help the public avoid falling prey to their frauds.
Their ploys are varied, and sophisticated enough to be convincing even to the most savvy people.
Dave, who resides in Canada, received a call from a number disguised as if it were a local caller. When he answered, a voice told him that he was in trouble unless he spoke with a government agent about his bank account.
The caller pretended to be with the investigations department of Service Canada. In this case, the scammer told Dave that his accounts were connected with serious crimes. In the US, many scammers identify themselves as being with the FBI.
The scammer even set up a fake call with a local police officer, while he waited on hold.
Together, the thieving tag-team explained that Dave’s money needed to be moved to a secure government account.
Dave’s advice is that you should never engage with these scammers. One correct piece of data, even a first name or your correct city, can be used with your phone number to find you on social media and gather even more information.
If the call seems real, ask for a name and then hang up. Use a different phone to call the agency or bank directly to verify the caller’s identity.
Always look up a bank or police department number yourself, instead of dialing one provided by the caller. Police will never call somebody on the phone to threaten arrest. Your bank will never call and ask you to divulge information. And government agencies will not call you to help you secure your funds.
Sometimes, scammers will hijack your phone and your verification call to any number will be rerouted to them without you knowing it was done. If you understand the scam and you refuse to provide any information or follow any instructions, you will be less likely to ever be the victim of one of these scams.
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This is classic, and well done, Dave. I’ll admit I like messing with scammers, too.
Scammer on Phone: Hi, are you Mrs.___________?
Me: Yes ( Actually, no – the phone is listed under my partner’s surname, not mine.)
Scammer: I am from the Government Bank (no such institution) and there has been an error, we need your bank account number to deposit $3,567.83. (It’s always a really weird amount of money.)
Me: Wow, I can use that, what good news.
Scammer: Can I have your phone number, please?
Me: You just rang me on it, didn’t you?
Scammer: Sorry, I mean your cell phone number.
Me: (Hand over a jumble of meaningless numbers, then..) Wow, this is just great! But it’s so funny, I was at work today, and the boss didn’t say a word about this error…
Scammer hangs up. And I never even got to say where I worked. I pulled this one twice as the second time the scammer claimed to be from the Taxation Office and that was the last call we got like that. Word must have gone around…