The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers of a new robocall scheme where scammers are posing as Apple and Amazon support.
Robocallers are using recorded messages that tell the person that something is wrong with their account like a suspicious purchase, lost package or their iCloud was breached.
The message prompts them to press ‘one’ to speak with customer service in order to discuss the problem – and this is where the scamming begins.
A fake representative is then connected and will attempt to extract a consumer’s personal information, like their credit card number or account passwords.
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Robocallers are using recorded messages tell the person, along with using their name, that something is wrong with their account like a suspicious purchase, lost package or their iCloud was breached
‘If you get an unexpected call or message about a problem with any of your accounts, hang up,’ the FTC said. ‘Do not press 1 to speak with customer support, do not call a phone number they gave you, do not give out your personal information.’
The FTC found two parts of this scam – a caller acting as an employee of Amazon or Apple.
For the Amazon scheme, unsuspecting victims will be told there’s something wrong with your account. It could be a suspicious purchase, a lost package, or an order they can’t fulfill.
‘An unauthorized purchase of an iPhone XR 64 GB for $749 is being ordered from your Amazon account,’ the recording states.
The message prompts the individual to press ‘one’ to speak with customer service in order to discuss the problem – and this is where the scamming begins. A robocaller is then connected and will attempt to extract a consumer’s personal information, like their credit card number or account passwords
‘To cancel your order or to connect with one of our customer support representatives please press one or simply stay on the line.’
In the scam disguised as Apple, the robocaller says: ‘Suspicious activity in your iCloud account, your iCloud account has been breached.’
‘Before you use any Apple device, please contact Apple support adviser.’
And again, prompts the person to press on to connect to the scammer.
Robocalls have become a major issue in the US.
Some 58 billion scam calls were made in 2019, an increase over 11 billion from the previous year.
However, in 2020 the number of calls took a dramatic dive to 30 billion across the nation.
In 2019, Americans, on average were hit with 15 robocalls per person in April, but exactly one year later that number decreased to 8.7 calls per person.
The decrease may stem from anti-robocall measures put into place December 2019.
In addition to fining convicted spammers from $1,500 to up to $10,000, the bill, signed by President Donald Trump, gives authorities more enforcement powers and looks to accelerate measures the industry is already taking to identify robocalls.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said: ‘American families deserve control over their communications, and this legislation will update our laws and regulations to stiffen penalties, increase transparency, and enhance government collaboration to stop unwanted solicitation.’
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
