Google Maps has matured into an extremely useful app that does much more than just help you navigate quickly, but safely, from point “A” to point “B.” And once you get to point “B,” Google Maps will tell you where to dine, where to shop, where to find entertainment, and where to get a good night’s sleep. The app will also give you the phone number to call when you want to get in touch with a business-like an airline.
Scammers submit fake business numbers to Google Maps to scam users
A fake phone number in Google Maps almost made a scam victim out of Schmuli Evers
The call got disconnected and then Evers’ phone rang; he was called from a French phone number and Caller ID showed the name of a person unrelated to Delta Airlines. The person then identified themselves as an airline representative. Shmuli gave his name and the confirmation number of his new flight. He was then directed by the “airline representative” to send the confirmation number of the new flight to another number via SMS. He also was asked to pay for the new flight reservations up front.
A fake call from Verizon
You could get confronted at any time by a scammer. As I wrote this article, my phone rang and the voice on the other end of the line claimed to belong to a Verizon representative. “How are you doing tonight?” the caller said. Realizing that it was a taped scam call, I responded that my night was not going well and that a safe had fallen on my head from a window above me. “Glad to hear that,” said the voice in a cheerful manner. I hung up.
As Shmili Evers discovered, scammers are everywhere. Trust your gut. If something seems odd and doesn’t make sense, you’re probably being scammed.
