Dayton man warns of Verizon spoofing scam

DAYTON — A Dayton man is warning others about a new spoofing scam that could cost thousands of dollars.

“They’ve done their homework. They know what people want to hear,” said Eric Foster.

Foster said he received a call last week which came up on his caller ID as “Verizon.”

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When he answered, the caller told him he’d be receiving a $90 customer loyalty refund and asked for his PIN.

“I thought maybe this doesn’t sound completely right, so I gave him my old PIN,” Foster said.

He thought he was safe –if it was a scam they couldn’t do anything with an old PIN—or could they?

“On Monday, I got an email from Verizon saying ‘we need to verify that you changed your email address,” said Foster, “I was freaked out, I was nervous. What’s going on?”

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Foster called Verizon’s fraud department, and he said while he was on hold he received a voicemail stating that his device order was ready to be shipped.

The problem? He hadn’t ordered any devices.

Foster said he learned through the fraud department that scammers had spoofed Verizon’s number to call him—and then spoofed his number to call Verizon and make purchases.

“They had opened up four or five credit lines in my name. The had ordered three or four of the most expensive devices,” said Foster, “they said it had been happening a lot lately.”

Verizon would not confirm if cases like Foster’s are widespread and declined an interview request.

A spokesperson issued this statement:

“ Protecting customer accounts is one of Verizon's top priorities. Please keep in mind, as a matter of practice, Verizon will never call and ask you for your pin or other personal information. If something doesn't feel right, hang up with the caller and verify what you're being asked by calling Verizon's customer care line at 1-800-922-0204 or *611.”

Foster said he was able to get all of the fraudulent charges removed from his account, and he wants to warn other to be aware of this spoofing scam.

“Verifying who you are talking to – on both ends – needs to be addressed. People could get stuck. You get your next bill and it’s $5,000 dollars, instead of $200—big problem,” said Foster.