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Liberty reports ‘Press 2’ scam
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · April 10, 2014
Do not “Press 2,” according to Liberty Communications, because you may end up calling an expensive, international phone number.
The telephone service provider issued a statement last week that the company “received numerous calls” from customers reporting scams.
“The calls present what appears to be legitimate caller ID information containing names and phones numbers from various area codes across the United States,” read a press release. “If the call is answered, customers report that they hear an automated message stating ‘This is not an automated call, press 2.’”
West Branch Police Chief Mike Horihan said he does not know if anyone in the city has actually been tricked out of money.
“The true victims are not calling,” he said.
Horihan said there are similar scams, like “Press 2 if this is not a fax machine.”
But he has also heard of callers impersonating representatives from major computer software companies, stating that there is a problem communicating with the victim’s computer or laptop, and asking them to go online to a certain Web site and download a file.
Horihan said smartphone application programs can generate fake phone numbers that appear on caller ID screens, tricking victims into thinking that the caller is legitimate. Often, Horihan said, these calls cannot be traced.
“It’s hard enough to get a conviction in the state,” he said. “A lot of scams are generated out of the country.”
Both Liberty and the WBPD encourage residents to hang up if anyone unfamiliar to them asks them to give out personal information, to press a key on their phones or to go online and possibly download a computer virus, spyware or programs that can read your personal data, unlock passwords or give them control over your computer.
Liberty stated in the press release that it has reported the scam to law enforcement agencies.
Horihan said the scams typically target older people “who have not grown up with computers.”
“They think it’s rude to hang up,” the police officer said. “But they have to be firm.”
Horihan said he is surprised that telephone solicitors “are still out there.”
“People are so suspicious,” he said. “But the fact that they are still doing it means it must be working.”
Horihan said that if anyone feels they have been scammed, the police can put them in contact with government agencies to lessen the impact on their credit, or head off an attempt to steal their identity.
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