Cell phone service provider scam

[BellDRock]

There is currently a sophisticated fraud scam taking place where fraudsters are posing as and claiming to be representatives of a service provider.

The fraudsters call potential victims claiming to be from their service provider. They offer a promotion or deal so lucrative they cannot pass it up. The fraudsters proceed to ask for the victim’s personal information including their Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Driver’s License number, credit card, passwords, etc.

If the personal information is given to the fraudster, the fraudster passes the information on to a second fraudster who then calls a service provider acting as the customer. Because the second fraudster has all the relevant personal information, the service provider is tricked in to believing it is the actual customer. The fraudster then orders a phone which is sent to the victim’s location. After the phone arrives at the victim’s location, the fraudster calls the victim back to explain it was shipped in error and asks the victim to ship it to a different address than what is on the shipping label.

Moving forward, the victim’s personal information can be used again to commit further fraud.

What to watch for?

Be cautious when receiving calls with very attractive offers or promotions, and as always, be highly cautious of anyone looking for personal information. Companies that have your sensitive personal information will not be asking for it, as they already have it.

What can you do to protect yourself and prevent fraud?

• Never provide personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call.
• Do not share your username and password.
• Monitor your accounts and look for unusual transactions
• If you receive a call from your service provider, advise them that you will call them back and end the call; Bell customers can reach Bell by dialing 310-BELL
• If you are asked to re-ship a Bell cell phone, please contact 1-800-509-9904 (Bell Mobility Loss Prevention)
• If a transaction seems abnormal, contact the company immediately
• Regularly check your credit reports (Equifax/Trans-Union) for any unusual activities

When and how to report fraud

• If you experience this or any fraud or scam attempt; report it to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre via their Online Reporting System or by phone at 1-888-495-8501
• Anyone who suspects they’ve been the victim of cybercrime or fraud should report it to their local police, the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre via their Online Reporting System or by phone at 1-888-495-8501
• To report this potential fraud to Bell, please contact 1-800-509-9904

[Rosie]

Good information to know!

Thanks

[Anrais]

Thanks!

[Lulu]

They started with that offer for me, then said they would "gift" me an iPhone 11 or iPad.  I have no idea what these things cost and had a such a terrible experience with Bell Mobility years ago that I really didn't want to move my cell service to Bell.  The hook was offering a no-penalty 14 day trial that I could use Bell, then return to my cell provider at no charge.  The gifted phone would have to be returned.  They were also going to upgrade all my home services & equipment.  I got calls to set up the technician once the equipment had been received (never clued in that the technician would bring the stuff and it would not be shipped at additional cost) - but we never got that far.  I figured that there had to be some fine print that would indicate a payback on the phone starting after the 2 year discounted period or that the gift phone would be reconditioned or not quite as described.  They ended up changing my existing cellphone package to enable them to finance two cellphones on my account and the address would be changed at the last minute so the scammers could get the phones and not have to steal them aa they were delivered.  I luckily clued it quickly to the scam and pulled the plug.  It has taken hours to report the fraud to Bell, my cellphone provider, cancel my credit card and even conduct credit check on myself, and attempt to reclaim the 2 email accounts.  One account is still in limbo, but I refuse to give up as it could be continued to use to scam my contacts.  They must use a new phone number each time because a search turned up nothing.  I think I may even have spoken with the guy who called initially (I also dealt with his "boss" a woman) in previous months, calling him out on bogus offers or offers that were only good for new customers, not long time loyal customers.  It was a complex and highly sophisticated scam.  The person calling seemed to have insider info and even the "confirmation" email had a legitimate hot link within it.  I wouldn't be surprised if the scammer hadn't once worked for Bell or one of its associate telemarketing teams.   

[Almostdefrauded]

This scheme is live and well in 2024.  I was almost a victim last evening. 

Fraudster called on home phone (not Bell) and asked if I was happy with my service and offered a significant discount to retain "loyal customer".   They knew the exact value of my recent bill, my first name, an approximate pronunciation of my last name, my cell phone numbers and my One Bill account number.   It was easy to see how they may be legitimate.  Like the above post I suspect this was an inside job because of the knowledge they had.  This was reinforced when the Bell Fraud department asked if I had any recent dealings with a Bell Phone Store?  Not sure what she was implying. 

The scam went back and forth with them sending me numerous SMS validations to my cell phone.  Not unlike the Bell Fraud team did when I eventually talked to them.  I suspect now that his accomplice was relaying my verbal responses to a Bell agent on another line that was getting spoofed.  The trigger for me came when I received an automated message from Bell that my email address on the account had been changed.   The fraudster said this was normal while the "back office" processed the credit.  At that point I got on my computer and contacted Bell via the online chat service.  Once the fraudster call ended the real Bell agent contacted me by phone and transferred me to the fraud department.    

They cancelled the order for two new phone that had been placed by the fraudster and his accomplice, reset my account and all seems good.  Bell advised that fraudsters scheme would have been to redirect the delivery as described above and they advised to call BELL if per slim chance that the phones actually arrive at our house to call Bell for instructions and not to follow any direction received by phone.    

BELL the moral of the story for you folks is that the SMS messaging you use for validation obviously has a work-around that these folks are exploiting.  The SMS to the phone should not be a bypass to the password or PIN on the account.   If they asked for a PIN or a Password the red lights would go off immediately.      

New rule in our house is that  we will only validate by SMS if we have initiated the call to the service provider in the first place.  Close call and thanks to Bell Agents for me not becoming a statistic.

[FireGirl]

I also was a victim of this fraud. As soon as I hung up with the scammer I checked my account. I could not get in, and immediately called Bell. I was informed that a Samsung S24 Ultra had been ordered and my email address had been changed. Bell was very quick to respond and restored my account and canceled the phone order. However, the scammer called back the next day. Through our almost daily chats I was able to get him to send me a shipping label for where the phone was to be sent. When I contacted the real Bell Fraud Dept to give them this information they seemed rather uninterested. They took the information but the response was quite blasé. It was if the Bell agent truly did not care. A disappointing  response. 

[AndreYYZ]

Think Bell should be a little bit more vocal about this and the fact that they can spoof real numbers. I sure hope the industry is working on a way to stop or alert people. Why isn’t there a country wide campaign about this? Use email, text, TV advertising, news media? How about an insert, paper or email, in bills? I’m getting 1-3 call a day the past few weeks. I’m very aware of these scammers but some people aren’t that computer literate and are getting duped! Bell and all cell carriers should be much more proactive about this topic. 
Cheers! 

[drd]

I'm surprised that Bell doesn't further detail how these scams can play out.  

The scammer has your cell #, he called you. He's likely on the Bell login site when you answer. He asks for your email address. Why in the world would you give it to him, Bell has it on file. Regardless, you do so. So now the scammer has 50% of what he needs to logon into the "change my password" mode on the log in page.  He clicks... the security default sends you a text message. He knows you're now getting this, says it's from him. Asks you for it. The email is legitimate. You're convinced it's Bell,  you comply, give him the code. Bad mistake. In a flash, he has all that's needed to switch your password. Done. Access denied to you! Now he can do what he wants, give you your account info, last bill info etc. Now he can convince you even more that he's real. Too late!   He can order phones that get sent to you, give you false address to return it to, open new cell lines etc. They're very smart, you don't even know what hit you. Some victims on this site mention cancelling Bell, as if it's their fault. Wrong.

The message: NEVER NEVER give our personal information out on a call YOU YOURSELF did not initiate. 

Hope this helps someone. 

[BellDRock]

Hello @drd 

Check out Service provider impersonation scam for more information.

[FireGirl]

Further to what others have mentioned, getting the word out about this scam is so important. Most folks who have been scammed are embarrassed. Don't be. These guys are good and usually have at least a slightly plausible answer for most red flags. However, to stop them, we need to shout what the red flags are. As drd says - never give out personal info. The information should flow one way only. Go on your social media and warn friends and family. Start a conversation. It's amazing how many people will say "Oh, I got a call like that." or "I got scammed last year." It's all too common - and not just Bell. If you have a digital foot print, you could be a target. Creating awareness is prevention.

[AlPieretti55]

I was called on Monday, 23 Sept 2024 on my cell phone, started at 10:58 a.m. They (she) stated they were calling from Bell, that I have been a loyalty customer and were going to provide me with discounted home phone line and internet and then my cell phone as well. I talked to 3 different people who's phone numbers were:  905-46*-**** stating her name was Anna Kason, employee # 10** and Promotion ID #28981*****. I hung up and she called back and I stated I don't know what happen and know she was calling from 905-43*-****.  She transferred to an female but called ended. Then I was called from 905-39*-****, to confirm discounts and that I would receive a new cell phone and would have to pay the delivery person, $15.00. I had emails sent to me from Bell.ca first being a verification code. Plus 3 other emails from Bell.ca stating as to my username. One tried to get my credit card but I refused. But another female asked for my drivers license which I provided.  All 3 females had foreign accents. Emails were from [email protected] .....Yes I was told that I would receive a new iPhone and have to $15.00 and my account would then be credited for this amount.

[BellAntgio]

Hello @AlPieretti55 ,

Check out Service provider impersonation scam for more information.

Thanks.

[EhviatorRy]

I think there’s one going around right now. Kept getting calls from a 1-800-56*-**** number yesterday. Accidentally picked up and it was a woman saying they’re from Bell and I just hung up. At no time did caller ID come up as Bell Canada or anything.