By: Najla Alexander
Middlesex County officials announced that there have been recent reports, both within the county and nationwide, of scams targeting customers of various telecommunications companies.
The scammers send unsolicited text messages, emails, or phone calls advising customers that the terms of service have changed, that payment has not been received, or that credit is available on the account, according to Middlesex County officials. Links to websites will have subtle typos or misspellings.
Xfinity Payment Scam:
• Scammers are sending emails that the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy have changed, and encourage customers to click a link so they don’t lose access to emails.
• A second scam alleges that a customer has made changes to the Wi-Fi network name or password and encourages customers to click a link to connect to the network.
• The scam links can be utilized to steal passwords and personal information.
• Call 1-800-934-6489 (1-800-Xfinity) to verify if it is legitimate.
Verizon Credit Scam:
• Recently, Verizon suffered a service outage that impacted more than 1.5 million customers. Verizon issued a statement that it would offer a $20 account credit redeemable by logging in to the myVerizon app. Customers would receive a text when the credit is available in the app.
• Scammers are leveraging this credit offer with texts and emails that provide links and request your login information. DO NOT CLICK unsolicited links and DO NOT provide login information. Only log in to the myVerizon app or call customer service.
To protect yourself and others from these scams, consider the following:
-NEVER provide personal information such as date of birth or social security number.
-DO NOT provide account login information
-ENABLE two-step verification whenever available
-DO NOT share account activity – Do not share activity or financial account information.
-Block any phone numbers and report the text as junk/spam.
Please call your local police department if you believe you have been victimized. You can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and/or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) https://www.ic3.gov.