Durham police say scammers posing as your cell company use your account to order phones, then trick you into sending them away and leave you with the bill.
Durham police are warning about a scam in which a caller pretends to be your cell phone company, orders phones on your account, then talks you into shipping them to a stranger.
The caller may offer a free or discounted phone, an upgrade or another deal that sounds real. Police say the goal is to get you to share personal or account details, approve a transaction or place an order. The scammers then use your account to order several devices or accessories and have them sent to your home.
Later, a second call comes. The caller says the orders were a mistake and tells you to send the items back by courier or with a shipping label they provide. The devices end up with someone else, and police say you are left on the hook for the bill.
Anyone with a mobile phone account could get one of these calls. Police say the scams can be very convincing. In some cases the callers already have some of your personal or account information, so a caller who knows details about you is not proof of anything. People who treat unexpected offers with doubt and deal only with their provider directly are in the best position.
The alert box above lists what to do. The main idea is simple: before you send any device anywhere, confirm the instructions with your provider using contact details you look up yourself.
The police warning does not say how many people have been targeted, how much money has been lost or which phone companies were named. It also does not say whether anyone has been charged.
Never return a phone to an address a caller gives you. Confirm every offer and return with your provider using contact details you find yourself.
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