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- Scammers are getting potential victims to call them instead of them calling you with a new scam that uses smart voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
- The scammers put out fake customer support numbers for smart voice assistants to find when you ask for it, according to the Better Business Bureau.
- Your guard against phone scams is likely down, as you’re the one making the call. And the number was found by your smart assistant, which many might assume is accurate.
- The Better Business Bureau suggests you find customer support numbers from a company’s website rather than using a smart voice assistant, or even an online search.
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Smart assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa are pointing people to fake customer support numbers in a new technique used by scammers, according to the Better Business Bureau.
According to the BBB, a victim reportedly used a voice search with a smart assistant to find the customer service number for an airline to change seats on an upcoming flight. The victim called the number, and a fake representative tried to scam them into spending $400 for a gift card for a fake special promotion.
Another victim reportedly asked Siri for the customer service number of a company to get support for their printer, and the number led them to a tech support scam.
The scam is especially dangerous, as it brings you directly to the scammers, and you might have your guard down since you’re the one making the call.
Business Insider reached out to Google, Apple, and Amazon asking whether the information provided by smart voice assistants is verified, but we didn’t immediately hear back.
Read more: The 11 most sophisticated online scams right now that the average person falls for
The BBB warns that scammers might insist that you pay for something via a wire transfer or a debit card, demand remote access to your computer, or point you to unfamiliar websites.
To avoid these customer service scams, the BBB suggests you look for a support number yourself on a company’s website — even an online search on a search engine like Google might point you to a scam number. And if you do make any payments, your best bet is to use your credit card, as you can dispute a transaction more easily than one made from a debit card.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Antonio Villas-Boas)