Daniel Prince
Searching Google for contact numbers for websites often leads to scams
A Union man reported an incident of bank fraud to Union Public Safety on Tuesday. The man spoke with Cpl. Robert Hope and explained that he had wanted to call eBay to ask about a purchase he made of cameras that had not been delivered. He found a number purporting to be from eBay on Google and called it. A person answered, claiming to be a customer service representative of eBay. The person verified some information and told him that the cameras had been sent to Texas by mistake. The subject then also claimed that four phones had been purchased using the man’s account, totaling $2000. In order to fix the problem, the subject told the man to first clear an eBay gift card for $200 to verify the account. Last Saturday, the man bought a gift card from Dollar General and loaded the money onto the card. He then texted the card number to the subject. The subject then told the man to put $2000 on the card for the phones, saying it would be credited to his eBay account. The man questioned the subject on the process and was told that the money was only to verify his account and to clear the outstanding balance due on the phones, but that it would be credited to his account. The man ended the call, and any further attempts to make contact were unsuccessful due to the number not being in service. The victim provided Hope with the receipt from the gift card purchase and was told a report would be done and forwarded to investigations.
To avoid similar scams, never Google contact numbers for websites. Go directly to the site and use the contact information found there. If someone asks you to load money onto a gift card, make a wire transfer, or use Cash App or similar program in order to verify account information or to ultimately receive a refund, don’t do it. Don’t deposit checks and send money back to someone. Don’t give any personal or financial information out over the phone. Report suspected frauds to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.