SAN ANTONIO — When you look up a number for any company's customer service, how do you know you're talking to a legitimate representative?
The number of business impersonators has skyrocketed since the pandemic, costing people hundreds of millions of dollars. It even happened to me.
My 90-year-old mother wanted to lower her cable and phone bills, so I offered to call her provider. I Googled the provider's customer service division and called the first number that came up. The person I spoke to said they were running a special and could lower her bill to $20 a month. I provided them with her credit card number, so bills could be automatically paid.
A week later, my mother received a call saying her credit card was being fraudulently used. A month later, her phone service was shut off.
When I called the provider again, I was told her bill hadn't been paid. I had been scammed.
How to safeguard yourself
The first person I spoke to after finding the number on Google was a scammer. People and entire organizations around the world pay to impersonate a business and are able to have their fake number listed first in an internet search.
"Consumers are hard-pressed to find a legit website using an open-search engine like Google on a mobile device," said Jason Meza with the Better Business Bureau.
So what should you do when you need customer help? I called the Federal Trade Commission, which is supposed to protect American consumers.
"Scammers are creating fake customer service telephone numbers for popular companies, whether that's airlines, tech support, cable internet services," said Christopher Brown, an attorney with the FTC. "Don't trust an internet search to provide you with the correct information. Instead, you want to go directly to the company's official website for that contact information."
While most of us want to speak to a real person, we almost always get routed to a call center. Sometimes, they're full of scammers.
You need to begin with the company website to protect yourself and find a real customer representative. The FTC told me business-impersonation is skyrocketing.
"The number of complaints we saw from 2022 to 2023 (represent) a 48% increase," Brown said. "In terms of reported consumer losses, I think it was $670 million."
Because of the growing problem, the FTC is creating a rule so it can get money back for consumers and more easily penalize fraudulent businesses.
The importance of taking action
Fortunately, my mother did not lose any money. But if you fall victim, the FTC says to contact the bank or company you used to report the fraud and have the transaction reversed if possible.
Also, report the fraud to the BBB, the FTC and the search engine where you found the number.
"It's incumbent upon consumers to really step up and report that and don't let it go," Meza said.
If you don't report it, someone else could be caught in the same trap. Next time, it could be your mother or maybe even you.
The FTC has information on how to avoid falling victim to scams here. Spectrum also has tips and safeguards you can learn about here.
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