Interesting new Scam

[ebikeerwidnes]

Just read something in the Manchester Evening News (I was looking for stuff about Bobby Charlton !)
anyway - I won;t post it because they woffle on for ages before getting to the point

Basically - you get a phone call - from O2 in this case - apparently

some woffle about am amazing discount etc etc

then to confirm they are genuine - and/or to confirm you are the right person - they say they will send you a message with a code in it

and - magically - you suddenly get a message - genuinely from O2 with a code in it

They then ask you to read out the code DO NOT READ OUT THAT CODE

BUT - the clever - and dangerous bit is
in the background they have used your email to try to log into O2 (in this case)
they tick the box saying they have forgotten the password
so - as per normal - O2 send you a message by email or text with a code

The scammers are saying this is to confirm you identity and ask you to read out that code

when you do they use it to get access to your account

In this case they ordered 3 new iPhones which the intercepted and stole

So - if someone rings with an offer and say s they will send a mesage with a code
DO NOT READ OUT THAT CODE!!!


Looking back a few days - I have had 2 messages with codes in over the last week - and an increase in phone calls that hang up
so it might be quite widespread

Pass the word!!!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

You're not meant to share your OTP code, not even with the staff of the company that sent you it.

 

[classic33]

You're not meant to share your OTP code, not even with the staff of the company that sent you it.

They've replaced account passwords. One time verification code. Go into one of their shops and you're sent a one time verification number to allow them to access your account. Customer service is the same, one time codes sent.

 

[Profpointy]

Just read something in the Manchester Evening News (I was looking for stuff about Bobby Charlton !)
anyway - I won;t post it because they woffle on for ages before getting to the point

Basically - you get a phone call - from O2 in this case - apparently

some woffle about am amazing discount etc etc

then to confirm they are genuine - and/or to confirm you are the right person - they say they will send you a message with a code in it

and - magically - you suddenly get a message - genuinely from O2 with a code in it

They then ask you to read out the code DO NOT READ OUT THAT CODE

BUT - the clever - and dangerous bit is
in the background they have used your email to try to log into O2 (in this case)
they tick the box saying they have forgotten the password
so - as per normal - O2 send you a message by email or text with a code

The scammers are saying this is to confirm you identity and ask you to read out that code

when you do they use it to get access to your account

In this case they ordered 3 new iPhones which the intercepted and stole

So - if someone rings with an offer and say s they will send a mesage with a code
DO NOT READ OUT THAT CODE!!!


Looking back a few days - I have had 2 messages with codes in over the last week - and an increase in phone calls that hang up
so it might be quite widespread

Pass the word!!!

That is quite clever. I was in the trade and designed or reviewed designs for a lot of things like that and I'm by no means certain I'd have twigged

 

[markemark]

So to verify they are genuine they want you to read them a code? Why would anyone think that makes them genuine?
Seriously I know they prey on the vulnerable but anyone with any sense should see through that.
When being contacted I want their identity to be demonstrated, not mine.

 

[classic33]

So to verify they are genuine they want you to read them a code? Why would anyone think that makes them genuine?
Seriously I know they prey on the vulnerable but anyone with any sense should see through that.

You can phone the customer services for your mobile provider, and they will send a one time code to verify you, before doing anything on your account.
Don't provide it and they'll go no further. Passwords have had their day.

 

[markemark]

You can phone the customer services for your mobile provider, and they will send a one time code to verify you, before doing anything on your account.
Don't provide it and they'll go no further. Passwords have had their day.

That proves your identity. As I said, if someone contacts me, it’s not my identity I need to prove, it’s theirs.

 

[classic33]

That proves your identity. As I said, if someone contacts me, it’s not my identity I need to prove, it’s theirs.

Suggestions on how that can be done, when your customer service number comes up on your handset.

I've used "that's me verified, how about you?" when they've phoned me and used my first name. Didn't go down too well, and they still insisted on going through the characters of the password part.

 

[markemark]

If an unexpected call hang up and call back on a number you know. If a landline, call back on a mobile as they can fake hang up on a landline.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I’ve had that very scam twice in the past two weeks. First one claimed to be O2, rewarding me for “always paying on time”, second one, yesterday, claimed to be Virgin Media.

It’s not the cleverest scam out there as the text that arrives tells you explicitly not to divulge the code to anyone, not even the service provider or anyone claiming to be them. But I can understand some people being fooled.

Anyway, I kept them on the line for seven or eight minutes, letting them go through their crap just to see what their responses would be and to tie them up a bit.

Since they claimed to be from accounts, I asked them for the last three digits of my account number. They said they could only do that after I confirmed I was the account holder by reading out the code. Same when I asked them to tell me my name or even my initials, how long I had been with them, the name of my current bundle etc.

They were quite insistent with all sorts of excuses for why I should go against the instruction in the text not to reveal it. “That only applies after this call”, said the quick-witted Indian woman.

I suggested that if their 50% monthly discount was real, they could email me. They hung up.

 

[Profpointy]

That proves your identity. As I said, if someone contacts me, it’s not my identity I need to prove, it’s theirs.

Quite, and yet I have had a fair few genuine calls who've wanted me to prove who I am. Whilst in some cases it was likely it really was
who they claimed to be I refused to comply "We seem to have an impasse then don't we" was one phrase I used. It's not the fault of the rep on the phone, but ffs what are the organisation thinking ?

 

[lazybloke]

So to verify they are genuine they want you to read them a code? Why would anyone think that makes them genuine?

Because we're all familiar with giving identification codes for things like receiving high value Amazon deliveries. The text,.apparently from a trusted vendor, is another part of the trickery.

The scammers don't expect or need a high success rate.

 

[markemark]

Because we're all familiar with giving identification codes for things like receiving high value Amazon deliveries. The text,.apparently from a trusted vendor, is another part of the trickery.

The scammers don't expect or need a high success rate.

These can all be covered with…when someone gets in contact do not give them any information and call them back through a trusted number on a mobile. That covers this and all other scam calls.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Because we're all familiar with giving identification codes for things like receiving high value Amazon deliveries. The text,.apparently from a trusted vendor, is another part of the trickery.

The scammers don't expect or need a high success rate.

They are not actually after anyone who is clever to spot it

Their main target is people who are gullible or unaware or overly trusting

Hence the danger - people often don;t think through what could be wrong - and just trust - and these scammers are VERY good at being trusted

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I forgot to add that my Samsung phone shows an alert on the screen as these calls come in. The screen turns red and shows “SUSPECTED SPAM” above the incoming number.

It’s only started doing this recently, so I’m assuming it’s a software update as I haven’t installed anything that would do this.