Scammers are clever and often never stop, which prompted the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services to issue a warning to consumers July 18.
“It is frustrating that these criminals continue to find new ways to exploit unsuspecting residents, but DIFS is committed to providing Michiganders with resources and recommendations on how to keep their personal and financial information safe from predators,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox in the press release. “Even if your phone’s caller ID displays a legitimate business’s name, you should be wary of anyone calling you asking for payment or personal information of any kind. If you think the call might be legitimate, hang up and call the number on your billing statement or other documentation from the company before giving out any information or making a payment.”
The DIFS release referred to a number of “recurring scams” including scams where criminals use a spoofed phone number to steal money from victims. In a spoofing scam, criminals use software to make phone calls and text messages look like they are coming from legitimate institutions, such as a bank, with the intent of getting account information by having victims verify their account information.
“In the call or text, the scammer lies to the victim about an issue with their account, such as an unauthorized purchase or overdraft, and then assures the victim that they can resolve the issue during that…
