European stocks will rise after Trump says he will delay tariffs until July 9th
European shares rose after President Donald Trump announced a new 50% tariff delay until July 9th.
There is bad customer service. Even worse fake customer service allows anyone to easily take you to a scammer with an eccentric accent who asks for a credit card on the spot when calling a fake hotline.
This is a tip to remind me of this summer, especially as I see various flight delays and cancellations at airports around the country that have to deal with outdated air traffic control devices and staffing shortages.
Has the airline lost your luggage? Have you ordered beach towels online and not delivered yet? Are there any issues with your car rental? Or are you worried about credit card transactions? Beware of the scammers we desperately want to hear from friendly voices offering to solve the CVS-Receipt size problem.
Scammers are well aware of how to build traps by planting fake customer service numbers online for famous major airlines, banks, insurance companies, cable companies, online retailers, and more.
Fake Amazon Customer Support
For example, Amazon News joined social media platform X in early March, warning consumers that the e-commerce platform saw a 33% increase in customer service spoofing scams on social media for the months between December and February 2024.
Amazon’s warnings give consumers good reason to think about posting complaints about their company or product on social media.
According to Amazon, the scammers are monitoring customer complaints in social media comments. The scammer then responds using fake accounts. A bad actor may lead you to suspicious links, seeking personal information and money, and transferring conversations to private messages.
Of course, if you think a little ironic, you might imagine a large company like Amazon wants to counteract every grip that has been published.
However, consumer watchdogs have confirmed that it is a robust tip to avoid posting complaints on social media. There, include everyone, including criminals who want “help” you can see them.
By impersonating a legitimate customer support business, criminals will catch you off guard and trick you into handing over money and personal information that will later be used for fraud.
Posting a complaint will help scammers target you
Amy Nofiger, director of victim support for the AARP fraud watch network, said he doesn’t want to circumvent the company’s traditional way of handling complaints by posting issues on social media, given that scammers have new tactics to target frustrated consumers.
The AARP network’s toll free helpline said daily that it was receiving calls regarding customer service-related scams. AARP Bulletin highlighted the growing issues in its May/June issue, including customer service fraud.
After that story was run, Nofiger said many consumers who had not even realised they had been scams began calling for helplines at 877-908-3360.
Going to online public spaces like Reddit, PissedConsumer, X, and more is still a popular way for people who release the steam and perhaps even get attention from real companies.
Unfortunately, the con artist loves to hit when people are most vulnerable, such as when the plane is cancelled while they are about to reach their granddaughter’s wedding in California.
You are already in a very emotional state. And why not welcome someone to reach out to see their posts in a way that finds your other flight?
Consumer Watchdog also warns that scammers can create fake message boards that recommend the site for fake phone numbers or customer service.
Clues that you are dealing with scammers: they want you money ahead of time. They say you can get a discount by paying your bill using American Express gift cards and other gift cards. They are changing their storylines to worry about money stolen from bank accounts and some kind of money laundering investigation.
Nofziger said he is actually talking to a scammer who asks for a credit card number when real trouble begins, so he covers the additional $500 cost of rebooking another ticket.
On the day we chatted on the phone, Nofziger said she was monitoring the helpline and had already heard of two consumers who came across a customer service-related scam where the scammer pretended to be eBay and Amazon customer support.
In the past, the helpline has heard from people who have come across scammers who are pretending to be Wells Fargo, Spectrum, and Jaco’s customer service.
If you have one issue, you don’t need to generate another issue that could lead to scammers losing a lot of money when you’re trying to rebook your flight or challenge a purchase with a credit card.
Google Customer Service can cause trouble
I’ve written about a variety of customer service scams, including Crooks impersonating a utility and other scams, including payment apps.
Utility scams start when you move to a new home and require you to open an account such as DTE Energy, a Detroit-based utility. Some people are scam when they search for phone numbers on Google and find fake numbers for utility directed at scammers. One Michigan consumer reported last year that he lost $250 to a scammer in the fees to open a DTE Energy account.
Cash App, a popular platform used to transfer money, faced serious problems as a scammer who posed as a customer service rep for cash apps several years ago. For several years, the cash app had no live customer support line at that time, according to federal regulators.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, some consumers, known as customer support phone numbers for fake cash apps, were instructed by customer service representatives for fake cash apps to download malware called “remote support applications” or “remote access tools.”
After the consumer has followed the instructions, the offender may remove or transfer funds from the consumer’s cash app account to his account.
Cash App then added customer service. The blog notes that payment apps have “how customers can contact directly, including live phone support, email, real-time in-app messaging, and in-app dispute submission tools.”
Online Notes on Cash App: “Criminals can pretend to be cash apps via email, text, phone or social media.”
Consumers can reach cash support by calling 800-969-1940. According to the Cash App, “This is the only phone number that customers can seek Cash app support.”
Nofziger warned that customer support scammers can hide many times behind unsolicited text messages that suggest that credit cards have fraudulent fees and suspicious activity in their bank accounts. You cannot click on these links or respond to such calls either.
In some cases, scams can turn into situations where CON artists can remotely access their computers and install malware on their computers. If you are not properly logged out of your online bank account, the scammer may have access to your bank account.
If you are dealing with flight delays or cancellations, you will usually want to reach out to the airline carefully.
Airline customer service scams have collided with consumers who searched for phone numbers on Google as scammers attempted to get delays or cancellations. According to last year’s Better Business Bureau alerts, some scammers try to trick consumers by creating flight cancellation notifications when they are trying to contact an airline’s customer service agent.
According to the BBB, scammers are known to create fake ticket booking sites or customer service numbers to charge travelers to reschedule fake flights.
For example, Delta Air Lines allows you to find contact information on Delta.com and the Fly Delta app. In some cases, the airline may have a phone bank at an airport dedicated to customer service, if there is a delay or flight cancellation.
If you want to make a call, make sure you have the actual delta number at 800-221-1212.
We live in a strange world when it comes to fraud. You can’t ignore the possibility that a scammer is out to help yourself with your money, including hiding behind fake customer service.
Please contact Personal Finance Columnist Susan Tom Paul: stompor@freepress.com. Follow himr x @tompor.
