Ridgewood Police Department: Phone Scam unsolicited calls from credit card companies
November 4
Phone Scam
The Ridgewood police Department would like to warn residents of the ongoing issue of unsolicited calls from credit card companies offering to lower your rates or offer other services. If you receive one of these calls you should hang up and call your credit card company using the phone number on your credit card to confirm that it was your company calling. We are also getting numerous reports of other phone and email scams they may ask for personal information or advising that a loved one is in danger or jail. Always contact the person that is supposed to be in danger or jail and do not send any types of payment. Please follow the following personal information tips that are recommended.
• Don’t give out your credit card information. Once a scammer has your data, they can charge your credit card for their own purchases or sell the information to other scammers.
• Don’t share other personal financial or sensitive information like your bank account or Social Security numbers. Scam artists often ask for this information during an unsolicited sales pitch, and then use it to commit other frauds against you.
• Be skeptical of any unsolicited sales calls that are prerecorded, especially if your phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. You shouldn’t get recorded sales pitches unless you have specifically agreed to accept such calls, with a few exceptions.
If you think you’ve experienced a credit card interest rate reduction scam, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).:
