Delaware State Police are reporting a scam call that makes reference to technology upgrades for smartphones.
Troopers received a complaint from a citizen in Kent County concerning a phone call from an individual claiming to be with Verizon.
The said the network was switching from 4G to 5G and the service would experience issues in the next few days. The caller claimed, in order to avoid issues with service, an account reset is needed. The victim received a password reset email and provided the confirmation code to the caller to reset the account.
The caller then instructed the victim to turn off the cell phone to complete the account reset and network update. The victim turned the cell phone on and moments later received another email from Verizon confirming his order for an Apple Ipad tablet. The order was made in the victim’s name and was set to be shipped. Verizon was notified of the incident.
Verizon and other carriers are upgrading services on a continuous basis and do not interrupt service.
Moreover, no reputable company makes phone calls or sends emails with the goal of seeking personal information already on file. One giveaway can be the return Email, which often comes with an email address that in no way resembles the company’s addresses.
State Police also suggesting keeping personal information as private as possible. There have been cases of individuals going to a cell phone store and buying devices with information obtained illegally.
Another tip is to continuously check credit card and cell phone bills to see if suspicious activity is taking place. Credit and debit cards typically have a feature that allows the user to send an email alert if a charge above a set dollar amount occurs.
Anyone with information on similar incidents is asked to contact Troop 4, Detective Powell at 302-856-5850. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com
