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Scammers target Wisconsin Spectrum phone customers
An impersonation scam is targeting people in Wisconsin. The caller says they are with Spectrum and can lower your phone bill, but you have to take an unusual step first.
MILWAUKEE - An impersonation scam is targeting people in Wisconsin. The caller says they are with Spectrum and can lower your phone bill, but you have to take an unusual step first.
Spectrum Mobile phone scam
What we know:
The scammer says they are with Spectrum Mobile, and they have a promotion that will greatly reduce your phone bill. One Milwaukee woman was interested but skeptical about what she had to do to get the deal.
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"You had to order a phone and open a new line," said Pamela McCreary.
McCreary was told if she returned the phone right away, she would get the discount and avoid paying for the new phone and the new line. She played along at first. Once the new phone arrived, she decided to call Spectrum directly. A Spectrum representative told her this was a scam.
How it works
Dig deeper:
Lisa Schiller with the Better Business Bureau serving Wisconsin explains how the scam works.
"You (are) receiving phones to your home, and then you’re being asked to reship them to another address, which you believe to be Spectrum," Schiller said.
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Schiller says the phone isn't shipped to Spectrum, but to an unknown address. Two victims told Contact 6 they shipped the phone on. They never got the discount and were charged for the phone.
What they're saying:
Spectrum helped McCreary to ship the phone back to them. She was not charged for it.
"(Customer service) was like, I’m smiling from ear to ear because you didn’t send the phone back," said McCreary. "You called us instead, and now you're safe."
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What you can do
What you can do:
Spectrum said to never accept devices you didn't order, never ship equipment to someone else, and always contact your carrier directly. The company said the scam calls are affecting customers of various carriers nationwide.
Full Statement from Mike Hogan, Spectrum spokesperson:
Scam calls targeting mobile customers of various carriers are happening nationwide. Spectrum advises customers: never share verification codes, do not accept devices you did not order, never ship our equipment to someone else, and always contact your carrier directly using official channels. More information is available at www.spectrum.net/support/general/scam-and-fraud-alert
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Jenna Sachs and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Pamela McCreary, Lisa Schiller, Better Business Bureau serving Wisconsin, Spectrum, and FOX6 News reporting.