Scammer Uses ‘Do-Not-Call’ Claim to Get Data on Consumers
A telemarketing scam being investigated by the New York State Consumer Protection Board and Verizon gets citizens to give out personal information by using the Do Not Call registry.
The NY Consumer Protection Board and Verizon issued a nationwide warning on Tuesday about the trick.
In the scam, a con artist calls a consumer and identifies himself as an official with a Do-Not-Call registry, according to Verizon. He says he needs to verify that the consumer does not want to receive telemarketing calls, but he needs some personal information to verify that he’s reached the right person.
He then asks for the individual’s Social Security number or a telephone calling card number.
“This is a new wrinkle on a decades-old scam where criminals try to convince consumers that they’re someone official who needs some information to help them,” said Dave Fisher, Verizon fraud-prevention manager, in a statement.
New York does not call consumers, who register on its Do-Not-Call registry, to confirm any information, said a Consumer Protection Board statement.
