Recently, Audrey Cerny of Vancouver received a phone call claiming to be from her bank’s anti-fraud department. Audrey Cerny received a phone call claiming to be from her bank’s anti-fraud department, informing her that there were suspicious charges on her credit card or that someone might have applied for a credit card in her name. Instead of asking for any information, they asked her to contact the fraud department by calling the phone number on the back of her credit or bank card.
In a panic, Cerny hung up the phone, took out her credit card, and called the number on the back of the card. The “bank” number was successfully dialed and transferred to the “fraud department,” where she was asked a series of questions to confirm her identity, email address, credit card number, date of birth and full name, and she even verified the security code on the back of her credit card. password.
However, Cerny did not communicate with her bank at all. Because the scammer never hung up during the scam, Cerny kept talking to the assailant.
Cerny said that in less than 24 hours, the culprit paid $23,000 on her credit card. Fortunately, she checked her account the next morning and found a $5 payment for a test in Ontario. She immediately reported it to her bank, which promptly cancelled those suspicious expense payments.
People who use landlines need to be aware that the person on the other end can stay on the line even if you hang up. It could be for a few seconds, or it could be longer.
Often, scammers will work as a team. When you pick up the phone again, they will play a recorded dial tone and then answer the phone after you have dialed, even pretending to transfer you to “another department”.
Jeff Thomson of the Canadian anti-fraud centre says this is still a persistent problem seen in anti-fraud centers today. The delayed disconnect feature is for convenience. Years ago, when many of us still used landlines, we could hang up temporarily in one room and then pick up the extension in another private area of the house to continue the conversation. And in today’s world, do we still need a delayed disconnect feature?
Ron Kubara in Surrey also recently received a scam call, but when he hung up and picked up the phone to call his bank again, he became suspicious because the dial tone didn’t sound right.
He ended up using his cell phone to make the call, and while he was on the phone, the landline rang again and the scammer called him again with the transaction number for the “fraudulent” credit card charge. He tried to get him to hang up and call his bank immediately before he was disconnected from the scammer’s call.
So what is the telecom industry doing to prevent this from happening?
Both Cerny and Kubara are using Shaw. in an email, Shaw stated that they are working with the team to reduce our phone settlement delays internally to help reduce the risk associated with this type of fraudulent activity.
Telus confirmed that its lines can remain active for up to 10 seconds after one party hangs up; Rogers, which provides landline service in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, also has a 10-second delayed disconnect time; and Bell (Bell) did not disclose any information about its disconnect time.
If you get a suspicious call, hang up and wait 10 minutes or more before using a landline, or you can use a cell phone.
Fraudulent calls usually come early in the day, says Thomson of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. You haven’t woken up, you haven’t had your coffee, and he creates an emergency situation that creates an emotion that contains panic and fear. In such a situation, calling your bank immediately could backfire.
Recent Comments