There is a new type of scam that is becoming more widespread on the internet: phony customer service numbers.
Say you find a suspicious charge on your PayPal account. You Google “PayPal Customer Service Phone Number.” The number you find on the search results page may not be the genuine number. It could be a number that leads directly to scammers, who will tell you “of course,” they can get that suspicious charge removed if you’ll just confirm your credit card number. Or provide your Social Security Number for identification purposes.
Fraudbusters recommend these steps should you need to contact any business’ customer service:
1. Go directly to that business’ website and find its customer service phone number. (Not always easy, but it can be done.)
2. Don’t ask devices such as Siri or Alexa to find such numbers. Those devices are easier to fool than you.
3. If you do use a search engine, always check the URL and make sure it doesn’t contain any misspellings.
4. Refuse to give your SSN to any customer service rep. They really don’t need that to identify you.
5. Never give anyone you don’t personally know remote access to your computer.