Mainers targeted in collect call scam

PORTLAND – Verizon officials are warning Mainers about a scam hitting the state that is designed to trick consumers into giving out personal information such as credit card or telephone calling card numbers.

In the scam, a con artist posing as an operator calls, usually between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., and says there is “an emergency collect call” from a hospital or emergency room. If the customer accepts the call, the caller says the call cannot be billed as a collect call, and asks the customer for a calling card or commercial credit card number to complete the connection.

“This is a new wrinkle on a decades-old scam where criminals try to convince consumers that they’re a phone company employee or someone official who needs some information to help them,” said Dave Fisher, Verizon fraud prevention manager.

Fisher said Verizon and other long-distance companies have determined that this particular scam is originating in Italy and now is targeting Maine customers.

The con artists can use the customer’s personal numbers for a variety of purposes, including making long-distance calls or even identity theft, according to Fisher.

“We urge consumers not to give out any of this information over the phone to someone they don’t know. … Just hang up,” said Fisher.

Customers who accept the long-distance calls will see a charge on their bills for a collect call from Italy. Fisher advises customers to call the company billing the call to discuss a possible credit.