Maine phone scams are crafty and fraudulent practices of crooked individuals perpetrated over the phone with the intention of obtaining the personal and financial information of Maine residents. Phone scammers pretend to be from a trusted source, such as the police, a utility provider, a computer company, or your bank. They employ various strategies in order to achieve their aim. In order for them to access your personal and sensitive information, they cleverly con you into divulging the information. If they are able to access your bank cards or persuade you to transfer money into bank accounts they control, the majority of their work is done. Their tricks are often relentless, and very persuasive.
The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Maine Attorney General publishes popular phone scams and tricks utilized by the scammers on its website. For more information or complaints, contact the Division at 800-436-2131 or consumer.mediation@maine.gov. Common phone scams experienced by Maine residents include:
- IRS Scam: where the scammer poses as a staff of the IRS and threatens to arrest or jail time unless a certain amount of money is paid
- Grandparent Scam: where the scammer poses to be a grandchild of the target and in need of urgent financial aid
- Lottery/Sweepstakes Scam: where the scammer lures the target into believing that a lottery can be won or has been won but only needs to pay a particular sum to claim the grand prize
- Charity Scam: where the scammer claims to be a representative of a trustworthy charity organization, seeking donations.
- Computer Fix Scams: where the scammer poses as a staff of a reputable tech organization and asks for remote access to fix computer issues, such as viruses, malware issues. The scammer uses remote access to steal personal and sensitive information off the target's computer.
- Medicare Scams: where the scammer poses as a Medicare staff and offers to make changes to the target's Medicare for a small fee. However, they demand your Medicare and personal information in exchange which may later be used for fraudulent acts.
What are Maine IRS Scams?
IRS scam begins with a call from someone claiming to work for the IRS who informs you that you owe money for unpaid taxes. The caller claims you will be arrested, deported, have your license revoked, or even shut down your business if you do not pay up right away. Note that the caller may know some of your Social Security Number and your caller ID. It is all part of the plan to get you to part with money.
In recent times, IRS scammers in Maine have changed tact by using consumers' account details to deposit refunds. They then contact you posing as debt collection agency officials, claiming that the refund was deposited in error, and have you send the funds directly to them. During tax time, the IRS received millions of fake tax returns as a result of what the government terms Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) crimes, resulting in billions of dollars in fraudulent refunds yearly.
What are Maine Grandparent Scams?
Grandparent scams are largely targeted at the elderly. Callers who engage in grandparent scams are generally good at pretending to be someone they are not. They pose to be a grandchild of the target involved and try to be very convincing with the information gathered about the target from social networking sites.
Grandparent scammers pretend to be in some difficult situation, such as trying to get out of jail, leaving a foreign country, fixing a faulty car on a dangerous road, or paying a hospital bill. They try to get the grandparent to promise not to inform any family member of the situation as it would make them feel embarrassed. Sometimes, the scam is played by two persons, with the second party playing the role of a bondsman or an attorney who is trying to get the "grandchild" released from jail.
Grandparent scammers try to pressure you into sending money as quickly as possible and through less-secure means, such as MoneyGram or Western Union.
What are Maine Medicare Scams?
Many Maine seniors have reported having received phone calls from people claiming to be from the health office or Medicare. The caller asks for the resident's name and claims to offer some sort of supplemental health insurance or prescription coverage. In return, they ask for their target's Social Security Number, Medicare number, banking information, or money.
Impersonators in a Medicate scam may also claim that new Medicare, social security, or supplemental insurance benefit cards are being issued or that your file needs to be updated, The scammer asks you to verify or provide your banking information. Once you provide it, the scammer proceeds to use it to commit theft.
What are Maine Computer Fix Scams?
If out of nowhere, you suddenly get calls from someone claiming to be from a reputable tech company, such as Microsoft or Apple, telling you that there are viruses or malware on your computer which urgently needs to be fixed, odds are that you have been targeted in a tech support scam. It is also possible that your computer screen frequently displays a pop-up or an ad that your device and the information therein has been infected with viruses or malware. The display typically includes the phone number of a "computer technician" who can help fix the problem.
The technician who is the scammer demands remote access to install a tune-up and anti-virus software as well as running some diagnostics on the device. Once you grant remote access, the scammer accesses your computer for sensitive information such as passwords, PINs, and banking information which may be used in identity theft and to steal money.
What are Maine Charity Scams?
Many Mainers have received robocalls and regular phone calls from people asking for a donation to their charity. Often, the name of the charity organization sounds like one you are familiar with. Pressure tactic is quite common with charity scammers who try to get you to donate right away. Some of them may ask for donation via wire transfer, or cash, and may even offer to send a courier. These scammers sometimes start by thanking you for a pledge you do not remember making.
What are Maine Lottery/Sweepstakes Scams?
Lottery and Sweepstakes scams begin with you receiving a call from someone claiming you have won a huge amount of money in a lottery or sweepstakes. The caller says you only need to send money to cover some logistics costs, such as taxes, legal processing, or any other made up hoop to get you to send funds. You may be required to send money through cryptocurrencies, prepaid cards, gift cards. Cards that are frequently suggested by scammers include iTunes and Green Dot Cards.
How Do I Avoid Becoming a Victim of a Phone Scam?
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers.
- Do not trust the name or the number of the caller ID display. Scammers now use spoofing to falsify caller ID information. Be alert, aware that callers may not always be who they claim to be.
- Be aware that it is not standard practice for government agencies and reputable organizations to request sensitive information, such as passwords, PINs, credit card details on the phone. If a caller demands sensitive information over a phone call, it is likely to be a scammer
- Use reverse phone lookup services to ascertain the authenticity of phone numbers and callers. A simple search of a phone number online may reveal if the caller ID has been reported in a previous scam.
- If you answer a phone call and you hear prerecorded messages, hang up immediately. Do not press any numbers to continue or speak with a live agent. Doing so indicates to the scammer that your number is active and will likely lead to more unsolicited calls.
- Refuse to give in to scare or pressure tactics from callers who demand an urgent financial response from you
- Report phone scams or suspicion of phone frauds to the Federal Trade Commission
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Illegitimate telemarketers are restricted from calling the numbers in the registry.
- Get regular updates on current phone scam trends via the FTC website or sign up for free email alerts from the FTC.