Scams are everywhere, and they are bound to get even more as the world approaches Christmas season.
According to Pew Research Center, “There is a 73 percent of American adults have experienced some kind of online scam or attack, and these are common across age groups. Most get scam calls, texts, and e-mails at least weekly.”
Yikes! And these are not just around the United States. Yesterday, Lito dela Cruz received a phone call from an unknown caller, posing as a representative from his bank, detailing how he could receive free points he can use for travel, shopping, and more if he provided them with some information.
The scammers utilized the fact that the person would be enticed to give away the information when they learn they can get points without doing anything.
Until the point the scammer on dela Cruz’s phone asked for his credit card number, and his OTP! Yes, his OTP! For some weird reason, he gave in, and gave the scammers those details. Minutes later, he received text messages saying his credit card was used to purchase items from a popular online shopping platform in his country.
“Are you joking me? Why did you give in?” the wife asked her husband.
“I don’t know,” he responded. “I was so st*pid!”
Even on DoorDash, these scams are rampant.
A DoorDash driver in Wisconsin has broken his silence after a scammer – similar to what happened to dela Cruz – posed as a company representative, and tried to steal his personal and financial details.
He is Ben Taylor, who has been DoorDashing for around a year already.
“My orders were getting canceled, so it seemed legitimate that a DoorDash operator was in contact with me and wanted me to stop driving to verify myself,” Taylor chatted with the RSF team.
Somebody phoned him who was already claiming to be a DoorDash representative. The scammer started asking him work-related questions, until the questions became more personal.
It was an experienced scammer, since they even reportedly knew the exact amount of money in his account and had his card information before he even gave them. Oh, my!
“They were asking a bunch of my personal information, trying to figure out if I was the actual DoorDasher or not holding the account,” Taylor further emphasized.
He was quick enough to think of locking his card, but the scammer was not fazed, asking him to send money through the Venmo.
“I knew something was up,” he pointed out.
In relation to this news, DoorDash released their official statement.
"DoorDash will never contact you to ask for your password, verification codes or sensitive information… over phone, text, or email… If someone does or you think it’s suspicious, hang up and report it,” the food delivery app said.
Nonetheless, how you wish DoorDash could do something more than just release an official statement, couldn’t they?
The police relayed that there are clear patterns to notice.
“They call unsolicited to tell you that there is a problem… and they’ll operate with a sense of urgency,” the police said.
He advises people to look up a company’s phone number independently, and verify whether a problem actually exists before providing any information.
“They pretend to be from a company they are not affiliated with or a government agency, and that is against state statute,” the police further emphasized. “We do recommend that you make a police report.”
What if the scammers are using psychology to lure you into the things you want that are impossible to achieve, like dela Cruz’s case, or those scammers saying you’d win lots of money? Tell your thoughts by signing up for that account today on this RSF site!