T-Mobile subscriber almost gets caught in phone call scam
Subscribers to wireless providers need to be careful to avoid getting scammed. Once someone with malicious intentions has access to your wireless account, he can request a new SIM card and create new passwords for your apps locking you out and giving the thief the ability to wipe out your bank and securities accounts. He can also change your address to his allowing him to order new phones and have them shipped to his address.
Whenever you receive a phone call, a text, or an email from your wireless provider, be cautious. The other day a T-Mobile subscriber who is also a Redditor with the user name AutomaticSet5894 wrote that he had received two phone calls from the same number. The first time, the call was flagged as a possible scam and the T-Mobile subscriber hung up. The second time, the potential target picked up the call and the caller asked whether the target had already set up his T-Mobile account, which he did.
The caller then asked for the subscriber's account PIN and the target gave the wrong number on purpose. The caller then asked the potential victim for the last four digits of his social security number which led the recipient of the call to hang up. A wireless firm will usually refrain from asking for a PIN to verify a call that they initiated so that seems a little strange right there. Most of the responses posted on the Reddit thread felt that the call was a scam based on the caller's request for the account PIN.
In order to protect yourself, there are some things that you need to know. Even if caller ID shows that a call is coming in from your wireless provider, that is not necessarily the truth. If in doubt, don't answer the call. Instead, call your carrier using a phone number that you obtained from a legit source. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon allow subscribers to dial 611 from their phones to contact customer service. The potential victim in this story called after he hung up on the potential scam call and found that there were no changes to his account and apparently there was nothing that warranted him receiving a phone call from the company.
One Redditor had a great response. "If it feels like a scam, treat it like a scam." If this happens to you, and you see that a call is coming in from your wireless provider, do not pick up the phone and if you do, don't answer any questions. Instead, hang up and call the carrier and find out if they have a reason to give you a call.
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