You may think you know the signs of a scammer but then they think of a new way to try and trick you. A warning about a common call that may tempt you to “press one.”
With special Amazon sale days going on now and the upcoming holiday shopping season you may be shopping more, so a phone call about an order may not be that much of a surprise. One of our co-workers says he’s gotten a message several times about an order he didn’t place and wondered if others are falling for it.
Here’s a sample of some of those calls.
“This call is to authorize the payment of $1,499 for the recent order of Apple Macbook Pro on your Amazon account. If you do not authorize this payment please press one to speak to our customer support representative,” said the call.
The Federal Trade Commission put out a warning about these types of “press one” calls.
The call could be about an order or they may claim you have a problem with your Amazon or Apple account. The scammer is either trying to get malware on your device so they can access your accounts or they are trying to get personal information directly from you. [SEE: Similar BBB warning.]
- If you get an unexpected call like this - hang up.
- If you think there is actually a problem, contact the company the call claimed to be from directly.
- If scammers get into your computer they can do things like track your keystrokes to get passwords to important accounts - and even place fake orders of merchandise delivered to them.
You should report these calls to Amazon. A few weeks ago I explained how to block unwanted calls and texts to your devices. If you do get a call you think is a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.