The international robocall SCAM volume has had a noticeable increase over the past 6 months.
The scams are still the same, either being the purchase of an expensive Apple iPhone or an Amazon Prime subscription.
The call is from a local number and a robotic voice reads you a message, obviously programmed with no punctuation as it rattles it off at a record pace.
You are always given the option to press 1 to speak to an operator if you want to cancel the order. Amusingly, they often don’t know which scam they’re talking to you about and often starting talking to you about something different from the robo message.
The people you speak are reading from scripts and often trip over their own words and are easily stumped when you don’t respond the way they would expect. Questioning who they are or where they are from almost always results in the call being terminated.
In a recent call, whilst playing along, we were directed to go to an Amazon cancellation form at http://amazonformcancel.ukit.me
Ukit.me is a free hosting platform out of Russia and is being abused for SCAM and SPAM campaigns regularly. (just do a Google search)
On this fake Amazon page, you’ll find a few things.
First, the cancel order button helpfully points you to a download of the UltraViewer (ultraviewer.net) remote access software.
Just in case that doesn’t work, there are also Support links to point you to download their other regular favorite, AnyDesk (anydesk.com).
Now, just in case you can’t download the above remote access software so they can access your computer (maybe your work has blocked these tools as a sensible precaution), they helpfully have a link to a Google form where they can collect personal information about you.
Going by the legitimate Amazon links on this fake page, this SCAM is operating out of India (amazon.in) which does seem to match the accent type we often hear.
TIPS:
- Never respond to unsolicited automated or robocalls asking you to take action on something. If you’re concerned, login to your account or visit the vendors website directly to investigate.
- If you’re called by an actual person, never be afraid to ask them to verify their identity BEFORE you hand over any of your personal information. If in doubt, let them know you will contact them back through their publicly advertised contact number. Most legitimate companies won’t have any concern with this and won’t try to coerce you into talking to them.
- NEVER allow someone to remotely access your computer unless you implicitly trust them. If you have a work computer, this will be against your company policy. There is no legitimate reason a company like Amazon would need to access your computer to deal with an account issue.
But really, if in doubt, just hang up.
