A Williams Lake senior is warning others after she was targeted by a phone scam demanding she send $199 to maintain her television services on March 22.
Sharleen MacMurchy said the caller identified themselves as an employee from Shaw and asked MacMurchy to turn off her television as the company would be changing the frequency in the area. The caller then told her she would receive a seniors deal of free services during June and July.
After this period, she was promised $30 off her bill each month for the next three years.
It sounded pretty great until she was asked to send $199 via check or money order immediately to receive the seniors’ promotion.
MacMurchy grew suspicious and asked the employee to put it on her bill instead, to which the spam caller said no, threatening to shut off her television services if she didn’t pay.
After hanging up, MacMurchy called Shaw herself. Shaw confirmed they didn’t have a seniors promotion like that, nor were they doing any frequency work in her area.
Shaw also checked MacMurchy’s account to ensure it wasn’t compromised and helped her change her pin number, making her account more secure.
While the caller gave her name (presumably a fake one), it’s important to remember that these callers can call from any number and give any random name.
Sgt. Josh Smith said never to give out your personal information, such as your credit card number, over the phone but to instead do so in person. Call your service provider directly to verify the caller’s identity when in doubt.
Smith also said that scammers use social media to learn information about users who have public profiles. They can then make scam calls and seem legit because they know so much information about the individual — information publicly posted online by the user, such as photos of themselves or family or their location.
Check your social media privacy settings to ensure your personal information remains private.
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