I was working when my mobile rang. There was a pause after I answered, which told me it was probably a scam, but it might have been a business so I continued and said ‘Hello?’ (I never give my name when I answer–there are too many scams and I want them to have minimal information.) The person (a man with an Asian accent) said hello, he was from Amazon Fraud Department, how was my day going? I was half-inclined to put down the phone at that point, I hate chatty sales people when I am trying to work. But there was a chance (albeit a tiny chance) that the call was legit, so I told him (possibly not too politely) that I was working (and hoped he would take the hint). I was also on full-alert in case of a scam–no pin codes to be given, no information about my account, no pressing a number to be transferred elsewhere–I know all these things can be scams.

The call continued, and the next bit is really clever (and easy to be fooled by) so please read carefully. The man said (again) that he was from Amazon Fraud Department, there was a suspected fraud on my account, had I bought an iPhone in the last week? I had not. I was being cautious, and trying not to say too many words, so I just said (slightly rudely) ‘No.’ The man then asked if anyone else had access to my account. I said no, still wondering where this was going. He asked if I would like the transaction to continue, or to cancel it. If someone had hacked my account, I did not want to pay for an iPhone, so I said ‘Cancel.’ I was still trying to use single words, still trying to work out how this could be a scam. The man said that to cancel the order, they needed a cancellation code, which would be sent by Watsapp. Please could I put the phone on speaker mode and check my Watsapp, and read out the number. This sounded very dodgy–it made no sense–why would he need me to give a number he had sent? And why Watsapp? Do Amazon use Watsapp? I said no, he could send the code via email. The line went dead. A scam.

I was now sure it was a scam, but to what end? What could he possibly gain by sending me a code and then asking me to read it out? Could he somehow access my Watsapp account if I used it while he was on the phone? It seemed like a lot of effort just to hack a Watsapp account! I asked the family. (I also checked my Amazon account on a different device–I worried he might somehow be inside my phone and able to monitor which keys I pressed). I also wasn’t sure if my voice had been recorded (some places use voice recognition) although I had said very few words, I doubted that would be a problem.

The family explained the scam. It’s a clever one. To open a new account (online bank, social media, shop, whatever) they now usually ask for 2-step verification. They will email you a code, which you then enter on the screen. The scammer was probably attempting to open a fraudulent account in my name, or at least with my phone number, and although they could complete most of the online form with a false email address, they needed the code that the company would send. Hence the phone call. The ‘cancellation code’ he wanted would not have come from the fraudster, it would have come from whichever company they were trying to access. Therefore, when I read it to him, he would be able to complete the 2-step verification and hey presto, a new account set up in my name of which I would have no knowledge and no access. He could use this to sell dodgy things, or build a false identity, whatever dodgy dealings he wanted. I would never know.

After the event, when I had time to think, I realised that very few companies (including Amazon) have my mobile number, so I should have known from the start it was a scam. But when these calls happen, it’s very hard to think quickly, and we’re never completely sure it’s a scam, so we keep talking, until sometimes it’s too late. I managed to spot this one, but it was clever. Please be careful whenever someone who you don’t know calls–they may not be who they say they are.

I hope you have a good week, and that all your phone calls are welcome ones. Take care, and do share this scam with others so it won’t work on someone else. Thanks for reading.
Love, Anne x