In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are using Google search results to try to trick you into calling a phone number that they control. If you search for an organization on Google, scammers can manipulate the search results to display a fake phone number for the organization. Don’t take a chance of losing your investments on a risky phone call.
If you search on Google and call the fake number from one of these manipulated search results, you will be connected to a scammer. They will attempt to trick you out of your money by saying that your account needs updates or you need to transfer funds. They may ask you for your login information so that they can access your account. Once they gain access to your account, they can quickly transfer your funds to accounts that they control. This is one investment that you don’t want to risk!
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to a phone number scam:
- Confirm that you are on the organization’s official website if you are going to buy one of their products or use one of their services.
- Double-check that the listed phone number is the same one on the organization’s official website.
- Report any fake listings, ads, or any other type of disinformation through Google’s Report services.