Here is one of my colleagues’ story today. She got a call on her landline today which was a recorded message telling her she didn’t pay her last month bill and would be fined. And then left a contact number. So my colleague was so worried and kept calling the landline company - China telecom to check if she had any unpaid bill. Before she finished her story, almost all of us said:” Fraud! Why are you so serious?”

OK, how this fraud works?

When you receive the first call telling you that you had a large amount of overdue bill, normally your first reaction is surprise and want to find why. Some people then will dial the number the fraud provided as customer service number in the first call and thought this was the telecommunication company contact. But of course, this is not.

After you dialled the number, the cheater will answer the phone. Usually they will first check your personal information. After you gave your personal information and told them you are 100% sure that you’ve paid all the bills and would like to find why you still have any overdue bill. They will tell you that they suspect your personal information has been stolen and abused and ‘kindly’ transfer you to a ‘police’ over the phone.

The fake police then will confirm with you that your personal information and bank account has been abused by other people for crime. In order to protect you, he will suggest you to transfer your money into a ’safe’ account guarded by the police.

Of course, after you’ve done all he suggested, it is the end of the fraud.

Most people deceived are the old guys who easily trust others. So whenever you receive this kind of phone call, always call the right contact number of the company if you have any doubt.

Tags: Shanghai Scam, Shanghai Trap

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