Q. I recently called an 800 Customer Service number with which we do business. The number was a scam; how does this happen to reputable businesses?
A. Good question, not so very long ago, consumers needing a customer service number would simply look it up in the phone book. Not today however, the Internet age has changed everything. Now people are more likely to go online, enter the name of the business into their favorite search engine, and call the first phone number that pops up. This could be a big mistake.
The Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers about this recent trend. Scammers are buying up toll-free numbers and placing legitimate-looking ads on pages that appear at the top of a list when you search for a company online. Those looking for credit card phone numbers are being hit hardest, but major retailers’ numbers are also being faked.
The goal of scammers is to collect your personal information and rip you off by using your credit cards, steal your identity, or install malware on your computer. Some scammers are setting up imposter websites that mimic the look of a legitimate retailer. They may use the retailer’s name and logo. They use URLs that are confusingly similar to a company’s real one. Sometimes they will buy a phone number that is one digit off from the real one in hopes you will misdial and call them.
Fraudsters rely on the fact that you may be in a rush when you are looking for a customer service number. In turn, they try to be the first number you see when you do an online search. Keep in mind that those slots at the top and sidebars of search engine results are for sale and scammers buy them.