(recorded voice) "Hi My name is xxx from cardholder services......   stop - hang up .....   This is one of the most prolific phishing scams going right now.   

"Press one to speak to someone about your account", If you press 1, you will be connected to someone who will collect personal info about you and then sell it as a package to other telemarketers better equipped to charge you for free services, lie to you about their intentions and/or attempt to use your information for fraud.  

"Press 2 to be removed from our call list " and their system will confirm that your phone number is a true number and add it to the database of "validated" phone numbers. (which they sell to other telemarketing call lists).   The sooner in the call that you simply hang up, then the less likely your number is to be "validated" and you won't get called again till the next time their computer goes in to random dialing.  Stay on long enough to be validated and you'll start getting these calls more frequently, and from other unwanted sources since many of them call from states without "opt-out" laws.


NEVER give non-company information to anyone that you do not know and trust.   A more recent scam is an individual taking a survey asking a list of basic info about your place of business  to verify your free listing "is your business located at xxx " "is your fax number xxx "  etc..  (all will be yes/no answers)  followed by a request of your title and name ...  and "one additional piece of info" to prove they talked to a live person... sometimes a last name, sometimes a birth month, always something different and personal .....   THEY ARE RECORDING YOUR CALL!!!  They now have your voice saying yes, and your job title on this tape which they can now use as proof that you authorized whatever charges they are scamming.   Sometimes it will be a series of attempts over a few days or weeks, to collect various details  about you - They may even try and convince you how safe "giving them the birth "Day" is safe, because they don't have the "Month" or "year"   because they will count on the fact that you didn't give them anything but that one small detail, and won't remember that last time they asked for different "verification".  They splice them all together and the next thing you know, you've authorized them to charge a monthly subscription to your phone bill, or some other nonsense that will take you several months to find out about and stop, and the charges won't be reversed, because they have you on tape giving your permission.   To protect yourself without endangering those free listings and Company subscriptions : never say "yes", do say "that is our address", or "the number is correct"  and never give ANY personal information but your name.  (either first or last depending on your business company policy never both).  Any information that is not relevant to your job is NONE of their concern.


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