Scammers using AI created voices are making robocalls in which they claim to be Walmart employees named “Carl” or “Emma.” In the calls they claim that the person receiving the calls Walmart account has been charged $919.45 for the purchase of a PlayStation 5. The robocall goes on to tell the targeted victim that they should press 1 or call back if they want to cancel the order or speak with a live operator. People responding to the prompt are then connected to a live scammer who asks for personal information which often is the Social Security number of the targeted victim under the guise of needing to confirm the person’s identity. Of course, anyone providing this personal information would soon become a victim of identity theft.
TIPS
Whenever you get a phone call, you can never be sure who is actually calling you because through a simple technique called “spoofing” your Caller ID can be manipulated to make the scammers call appear to come from whatever number they wish to show so your Caller ID could well indicate that the call you are receiving is from Walmart. Never give personal information or make a payment in response to a phone call. If you have any concerns that the call may be legitimate, you should independently confirm the call by contacting the purported company directly at a number that you know is accurate. In the case of Walmart, their customer service number is 1‑800‑925‑6278 (1‑800‑WALMART).
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