Imagine this: You get a call that shows up as your bank on your caller ID. You answer the call, only to find you are speaking with someone whose English isn’t very good, and who asks for a lot of information but is vague about answering your questions.
Sound fishy? Of course it is. It’s called ID spoofing, and it’s happening more and more frequently. Scammers are faking the number and ID that appears on your caller ID, and hundreds are falling for it.
Very often, the scam goes something like this: the caller says he has an account number with the last four numbers being “XXXX” but the first numbers don’t match up with any records on file. The caller then asks you to “verify” the numbers, telling you he “checked the records on file twice.” If the caller is convincing enough, he hopes the victim will willingly provide the information he’s asking for. And once he has it in hand, he can wipe out the victim’s bank account, apply for and obtain credit cards or loans and other crimes.
So if you receive a call like this, stop and think. Don’t just automatically provide the information requested. The best thing you can do is to hang up and call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your credit card, or on your bank’s website. Verify that the call was in fact placed. It’s a pretty safe bet you’ll find out the call was fake. Banks and credit card issuers aren’t likely to call you to verify information such as this over the phone.
Don’t fall victim to scams such as this one. Remember: It’s always best to remember that if you doubt something is for real, it’s best to verify.