A New Braunfels, Texas, man recently had a frightening encounter with a fake Verizon fraud call. The scammer, claiming to be from Verizon’s fraud department, attempted to gain access to the man’s account through text verification.

The Scam

The scammer, who gave the name ‘John Rodriguez,’ provided the man with a fraudulent number and a cancellation number, making the call seem more official. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was tricked into giving the scammer access to his account, which led to an unauthorized upgrade to his daughter’s phone line.

Luckily, the man was able to catch on to the scam and contact the real Verizon fraud team, who helped him regain control of his account. The scammer had attempted to change the man’s password and make other changes to his account, but was thwarted by the man’s quick thinking.

Warning Signs

The scammer’s tactics are a common move in account takeover scams. The scammer gives the victim enough ‘case details’ to sound legitimate, then uses the information to gain control of the account. The man’s experience serves as a warning to others to be cautious when receiving unsolicited calls or texts from companies.

Verizon has stated that these types of social engineering scams have become a growing problem. The company is working to prevent such scams by tracking every case and identifying the hallmarks of social engineering events against their customers.

To protect themselves, customers can take several steps. They should use the number on their carrier’s app, website, or bill, rather than relying on a number given by the caller. They should also be wary of calls that ask for their password or a one-time security code, and should never click on links from unknown texts or emails.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.