Opinion: Have you called any scammers lately?

It seems like scammers have changed the game.

I’m talking about phone scammers – the kind that send you robocalls and when you get on the line, they pass you on to a real person.

They seem to have found a new tactic, and it has me shaking my head.

The US government has cracked down on robocallers, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped them completely, judging from the call history on my phone.

What I’ve noticed lately – and I’m sure most of you have noticed – is a lot of scammers have switched over to email.

I get spam emails almost daily, and they all seem to have a common theme.

They all have an attachment that purports to be an invoice, telling me I’ve successfully renewed a subscription costing hundreds of dollars.

A fake Geek Squad invoice sent to Jim Rossman. — Jim Rossman/TNS

In the example screenshot I’m posting, I supposedly have a recurring annual subscription for a Best Buy Geek Squad membership that costs US$417 (about RM1,912) per year. (Apologies to Best Buy; I realize they have nothing to do with this type of scam.) I can’t tell you how many friends and relatives have called, texted and emailed these invoices to me, worried they’ve been hacked.

The invoice I received just yesterday tells me “right now, your personal Geek Squad membership is about to expire.” They also mention my payment method is “automatic debit,” making me think they might have my credit card number. They also say the “withdrawn amount will appear under my financial statement within 24 hours.” Oh no. What can I do? Wait. Lucky me, they have been nice enough to include a customer service number I can call if I’d like to cancel this subscription before my account is charged.

I’d better call now, right? This is the interesting part.

The scammers have figured out a way to change the game.

Now YOU are calling them.

All the scammers want is to get you on the phone. If you have fallen for this fake invoice, they like their chances to scam you once you call them.

They have plenty of stories they can tell to get you to hand over personal information to steal your money.

They will likely ask you to verify your bank account or credit card number to prove your identity.

I’ve also received these fake invoices telling me my PayPal account would be charged. I’m sure if I called them to cancel, they’d need my PayPal login credentials to process the cancellation.

I want everyone to know these are just phishing attempts to get you on the phone with a scammer. You can ignore them.

You should always keep a close eye on your credit card and bank accounts in case someone does make a fraudulent charge.

Just make sure you don’t make the scammer’s job easier by calling them. – Tribune News Service