Peterborough Police Warn Public of 'Phone Provider Agent Scam' Circulating

/

The Peterborough Police Service is warning the public about a new scam that has been circulating over the past few weeks called the ‘Phone Provider Agent Scam.’

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

In each case, the victim has received texts or calls from third parties posing as legitimate agents of a cell phone provider, offering discounts and deals on new phones and devices, along with incentives to act immediately.

These third parties gain login credentials to the complainant's accounts by asking their security questions and personal information under the guise of ‘Identity verification.’ Scammers then purchase new model phones and devices using the victim's accounts without their knowledge and have them mailed to their homes by the legitimate phone providers.

Once the new devices are received by the victims, the third-party scammers will reach out again, advising that there was an issue and the wrong device or model was sent to them, and provide a ‘return shipping label’ to the victims, directing them to mail the newly received phones or devices back to the phone provider.  

The scammer then sells the product and the victims are on the hook for the full value of the phones/devices. 

The Peterborough Police are advising residents to remember that scammers can mask their identity and the phone number they are calling from, known as ‘spoofing’ their phone number so it appears to be your legitimate phone provider's contact number.

If an offer seems sudden, rushed or too good to be true in any respect, disconnect the call and call your legitimate phone provider to verify whether they were actually contacting you with the offer/promotion. 

Anyone victimized by an attempted or successful fraud or scam is asked to report the incident to the Peterborough Police Service through their online reporting portal.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.