A fraudulent robocall is flooding phone lines across the country. It claims to be from the Amazon Fraud Protection Department.
It says: “We have noticed a suspicious order from your Amazon account for an iPhone 12 pro for an amount of $999, scheduled to be delivered to Orlando, Florida. If you haven’t placed this order, then please press one to speak to a representative immediately.”
You can listen to that robocall by clicking this link.
“These robocalls are supposed to scare you,” cautioned Aaron Foss, who created Nomorobo, the robocall blocking service.
Push one to talk to a customer service representative and you’ll be connected to a con artist who will try to convince you to allow him to install remote access software onto your computer.
“They try and tell you that a hacker has gotten in, but don’t worry, they’ll help you clean it up,” Foss explained. “They just need to check your bank account and make sure there are no other fraudulent transactions.”
Before you know it, you get caught up in this scam, and that crook is using your computer to drain your bank account.
“And it doesn’t make any sense, but every single day people are losing tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars in this scam,” Foss told me. “Amazon is not going to call you and tell you that there is an incorrect charge on your account. If you get these calls – hang up!”
If you get a call, text, email, or social media message and don’t know what to do, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 before you provide an unknown caller with information or money. You do not need to be an AARP member to use this free service.