Initial reports of scammers calling individuals offering fake refunds for businesses that were “going out of business” started in 2018. Then there was an influx in early 2019, and now, they’re back at it.
This time the crooks are offering up fraudulent refunds from companies experiencing “server issues”. They are not targeting one company in particular, as they know that would limit their victim pool. Instead, they keep it pretty vague, hoping the victim will throw them a bone.
Just this week, one of our customers notified the support team the scammers were portraying PC Matic. During the call, the scammer claimed PC Matic experienced server issues, which is why they were issuing $50 refunds. They initially claimed the issues took place in the last month. Then they stated it was last year — red flag? Just one of many. Next, in order to process the refund, the customer was asked to provide their banking information. DO NOT DO THIS.
Red Flags Galore
First and foremost, if a company was going to issue refunds for any reason, they would not call every single customer. That would take a ridiculous amount of time. Secondly, if a refund was going to be processed, they would not need the banking information. Businesses keep their customer payment information on file. They may request that you verify the last four digits, but will never ask for the full routing or account numbers.
What to do next…
If you receive one of these calls, follow these steps:
- Gather as much data as you can. This includes the phone number they are calling from, and you can even ask for a call back number. Get their name and the company they are claiming to be from and their alledged location (this will all be fake, but get it anyway).
- Once you’ve collected the data, tell the caller you know its a scam and will be calling the authorities. This will deter them from calling again.
- Contact your local authorities and share with them all of the data you collected.
- Always keep in mind you should never share your banking information or personally identifiable information with anyone who is calling you.
