Owners of mobile phones in the United States may be victims of new fraud

If someone calls you, posing as an employee of your mobile operator, and asks for a verification code, do not give this person any information.

Фото: Depositphotos

In March in Florida, two scammers tried to buy phones at the Verizon store in Clearwater, Florida. Ahj Artag Berry and Keith Ramsay deceived two unsuspecting victims, but were arrested right in the store. USA Today. Authorities claim that the victims were not related to each other, but the police can not yet say for sure if there is a connection between the two cases of fraud.

March 26 Ramsey tried to buy two iPhone XS Max phones worth 1200 dollars for each device. Berry tried to buy one phone worth 1250 dollars 21 March, police said.

Tim Downes, a detective sergeant for the Economic Crimes Division, told how Ramsey acted. First, he received the victim's email address and sent her a fake message imitating the messages from Verizon. The message referred to fraud in the person’s account and attached a telephone number for communication.

When the victim called back, the scammer told her that he would send a personal identification number or a PIN code, which he would ask him to call. By sending a pincode to the victim by phone, the fraudster uses a password reset system that Verizon has installed to confirm the identity of its subscriber.

Having received this PIN code, the fraudster can reset the password, make himself the “primary user of the account” and continue to enjoy complete freedom of action - from forwarding calls to purchasing devices in the store as the main user. He will have to pay some fees at the store when he buys a new device, but you will have to pay most of the bill while they sell the device and make a profit.

Fortunately, the Verizon store noticed how quickly the account had changed and notified the police. Both suspects were detained before they left the store.

Фото: Depositphotos

“We understand that privacy and information security are of the utmost importance to our customers. Unfortunately, this is a harsh reality: attackers are always looking for ways to commit fraud and identity theft,” said Verizon spokesman Steve Van Dinter.

"As fraudsters gather more and more personal information and create more realistic-looking identification data, Verizon is working to stop criminals whose actions affect about 7000 customers every month."

If you suspect fraud, Verizon recommends reporting this at: (800) 922-0204.

How can you protect yourself? Tim Downes recommends exploring exactly how the company with which you actually deal, interacts with customers. For example, Verizon will never ask you in any way to communicate the identification PIN codes that the company sends you to verify your identity.

When in doubt, you can and should contact the company directly, instead of responding to “calls” to you.

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