Trust Your Instincts

Letter from Anonymous:

Earlier this morning, I received a call from “Amazon Fraud Protection” (that’s how they
presented). I was told that pre-authorized purchases were being processed on my account
and they had to verify my information.

The caller proceeded to ask me about my travel and where I lived in the past and my current
residence. She asked me for the last for digits of my Social Security Number and to verify
the debit card that I want to use. Immediately, I started to feel uncomfortable, so I asked if
there was another way to verify. She said that she could refer me to the FTC to which she
did, and my call was transferred to an individual who gave me his name, and get this, his
badge number.

While this is going on, I logged into my Amazon account (online) to check for any unusual or
unauthorized activity, but I see none.

The FTC guy starts asking me the same questions I received from the initial caller. When he
asked for the last four digits of my SS# to verify my account, I asked if he would give me the
last four numbers they have on record, and I will confirm or deny the accuracy of his
information. This is when the FTC caller’s tone changed. He proceeded to warn me that my
bank account and assets would be frozen. At this point, I was certain the call was a scam. I
told him I would not provide the information he was asking, and he promptly hung up.

I called the FTC Federal Trade Commission’s consumer hotline and they stated that they
were aware of the scam and encouraged me not to exchange personal information (I did
not) when asked over the phone. The FTC took my report and gave me a reference number.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

To Report Fraud, Scams or Bad Business Practices | ReportFraud.ftc.gov | 877-382-4357