Scammers target wireless customers in new phone scheme

A troubling message landed in our inbox and it reveals a scam that a great number of people have never seen Before we break it down here is the email that Gary from Palmetto Florida sent us This just happened to a friend of mine It's the first time I've heard of this scam She bought a new phone from Spectrum days later she got a call saying they were from Spectrum and informed her that they'd accidentally given her a refurbished phone rather than a new one and solicited her to send it back which he did However that night she got the feeling that something wasn't right She contacted UPS the next day and Spectrum and verified that it was a scam and fortunately was able to get her phone back but UPS described her that they indeed changed the return address and the address it was going to as soon as it was shipped She was just darn lucky she got her phone back But like I say this is something new Nobody I've talked to has heard of it yet it wrote This experience shows how hastily scammers evolve It also highlights how key fast action can be when something feels off HOW B WHATSAPP NUMBERS WERE SCRAPED AND EXPOSEDSign up for my FREE CyberGuy Assessment Get my best tech tips urgent safety alerts and particular deals delivered straight to your inbox Plus you ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join my CYBERGUY COM newsletter You may avoid this scam when you know the efforts criminals use to pull it off Here is how they operate They start by watching latest phone or carrier purchases through leaked evidence phishing or stolen shipment information Because they know when a phone was delivered they can time the call with precision Next they pretend to represent Spectrum or another carrier They claim a mix-up happened and say the customer received a refurbished device Since the call ties directly to a real purchase the story feels believable After that they send a prepaid label that looks official Once the victim ships the phone they alter the destination through UPS or FedEx tools or hacked accounts As a upshot the device gets rerouted fast Sometimes they even send a second message or call to confirm receipt This extra touch delays the moment the victim realizes the package went to a different address Gary's friend sensed something felt wrong She contacted UPS and Spectrum right away which allowed them to intercept the shipment before final delivery FAKE AGENT PHONE SCAMS ARE SPREADING FAST ACROSS THE USThese simple actions can stop this scam early and keep your new phone safe Reliably check with your carrier through its official phone number or website chat before you ship a device Treat any label that appears outside your verified online account as suspicious since scammers use these to reroute packages Use your own shipping and send the phone only after you verify the correct return address with your carrier Scammers use phrases like we made a mistake or we will credit your account to push quick action Slow down and confirm before you do anything Create a PIN and turn on two-factor authentication FA to protect your account from unauthorized access Strong antivirus tool blocks phishing sites and dangerous links that scammers use to steal account details It also warns you about scam calls and messages tied to known threats The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware potentially accessing your private information is to have strong antivirus program installed on all your devices This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams keeping your personal information and digital assets safe Get my picks for the best antivirus protection winners for your Windows Mac Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy com A evidence removal utility pulls your information off people search sites that expose your address carrier details and phone number Lowering that exposure reduces targeted scam calls While no arrangement can guarantee the complete removal of your details from the internet a material removal amenity is really a smart choice They aren't cheap and neither is your privacy These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the the majority effective way to erase your personal records from the internet By limiting the information available you reduce the danger of scammers cross-referencing facts from breaches with information they might find on the dark web making it harder for them to target you THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING WRONG WHEN SCAMMERS CALLCheck out my top picks for statistics removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy com Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web Cyberguy com Scammers sometimes add fake orders or create return requests inside your carrier account Reviewing your activity can reveal tampering hastily Check your carrier account for new orders or changes Look for return requests shipping labels or edits you did not make The majority carriers and shipping companies let you enable text or email alerts This makes it harder for scammers to reroute a package without you knowing Turn on delivery alerts with UPS FedEx or USPS Real-time updates help you catch reroutes before your device moves too far Scammers often use stolen UPS or FedEx credentials to change addresses Secure your UPS or FedEx accounts with strong passwords This limits unauthorized access that scammers rely on Consider using a password manager which securely stores and generates complex passwords reducing the peril of password reuse Next see if your email has been exposed in past breaches Our No password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks If you discover a match right now change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new unique credentials Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of at Cyberguy com A few scammers ask sufferers to read tracking numbers or label details They use these codes to hijack shipments Never share tracking numbers or label details with anyone who calls you Scammers use those numbers to redirect packages Your assessment helps carriers investigate similar attempts Document any suspicious calls to your carrier's fraud department Your story can help protect other customers from the same scheme Phone return scams keep spreading because scammers watch for any moment when people feel rushed or distracted When a new device arrives preponderance of us feel excited and eager to get it set up which gives criminals a narrow window to strike Taking a meager simple approaches to verify every return request can shut down the entire scheme before it reaches your door Slow down check the details and trust your instincts if anything feels off Your caution can save you from losing a brand-new phone to a convincing lie What scam attempts have you or someone you know run into lately that others should know about Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy com Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Account Get my best tech tips urgent protection alerts and special deals delivered straight to your inbox Plus you ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join my CYBERGUY COM newsletter Copyright CyberGuy com All rights reserved