FTC Imposter Scam Threatens to Unplug Your Phone Number

The scam du jour sounds like a real brain twister. According to a Federal Trade Commission alert issued Thursday about the newest imposter scam, fraudsters pretending to be from the FTC are calling to “warn” you that your phone number is being used to commit scams in another country and that if you don’t reply to them ASAP you run the risk of your phone getting deactivated. 

And it sounds like a pretty intricate hoax. According to the alert, the caller will transfer you to a phony police officer and provide a search query to find the (fake) phone number to file a “report,” and if you call, more scammers pick up. And once you’ve handed over your personal information, they’ll tell you you have to travel to the relevant country to resolve it, unless you fork over a “security deposit.”

This is just one of the latest in the raft of scams we face daily, and frequently fall for. I know the recents list on my phone is mostly pages and pages of suspected-spam-labeled calls.

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Just picking up provides scammers with the knowledge that your phone number is active and that you may be more likely to fall for the next step down a fraud’s path. Answering adds value to your personal information and a link to it all in its own.

I think scams like these rely on a series of adrenaline-fueled responses — the little spikes you get when you hear the phone ring, then see the ID (it’s the government!) and, if you pick up, the succession of scary warnings. Ignoring unexpected calls from strangers gives you time to think rationally about claims, if they leave a voicemail, and if they don’t, that’s telling as well. 

In this case, it could start with the realization that it’s truly unlikely the FTC would be contacting individuals about this, especially before issuing a public statement that there’s a problem.