Scam Alert!
For The Vista
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department has recently received reports concerning a free trial offer from “Assist 123” when consumers attempt to contact companies using “1-800- …” numbers.
According to the reports received, upon the consumer dialing “1” for Directory Assistance, victims are transferred to someone who attempts to sell the victim a free trial offer for a nominal processing fee of $4.95. Victims are further advised that as a complimentary gift for trying the service, they will receive a $100 rebate from a store of the victim’s choosing (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc.).
The Sherriff’s Department has discovered this is an overseas random technological grab of 800 phone calls where offers are made to get the consumers credit card number information.
Statistics show that approximately $500 million per year is lost as the result of credit card fraud with victims having to spend an average of 30 hours per incident to resolve their credit.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department advises everyone to never give out personal, financial or credit card information when being tempted for “free trial offers” or any other type of deal.
For further information concerning Identity or Credit Card Fraud, please contact our office at (931) 484-6176.