New scam impersonates Xfinity workers
DENVER (KDVR) — The Federal Trade Commission reports utility impostor scams are now topping the list in the U.S. In Colorado, scammers are impersonating a company common to homes and businesses.
In 2023, nearly 854,000 people filed complaints about impostor scams, which amounts to 33% of all consumer fraud reports. One of the latest scams in Colorado involves the impersonation of Xfinity workers.
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The scam is initiated through an email sent to an account the victim may seldom use. A phone number is provided, and then a deal is offered that requires paying a certain amount of money to receive a discount.
Maria Hess told FOX31 she received an email sent to an account she reserves for junk mail.
“I live on a very fixed income, and I don’t have extra money to be scammed,” Hess said.
Posing as an Xfinity employee, the scammer told Hess she would need a cable box software upgrade. A so-called supervisor then offered her a discount deal if she agreed to pay $199 upfront.
“It is going to be $40 taken off your bill every month for the next two years. I said, this kind of sounds too good to be true,” Hess told FOX31.
The number had been phished from a local business, so it seemed legitimate — but it was routed to the scammers.
Is this Xfinity deal a scam? Here’s how to check
Xfinity provided the Problem Solvers with the following statement: “Protecting our customers is a top priority for Comcast, and we dedicate significant resources to keeping our customers’ accounts safe and secure. If a customer receives a suspicious communication, whether it be an email, text message, or phone call claiming to be from Comcast or Xfinity, call Xfinity at 800-xfinity (800-934-6489) to verify it is legitimate.”
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Xfinity told FOX31 that if a customer feels like they or someone they know has been the victim of phishing, spam, online fraud, a phone scam or another security issue related to an Xfinity account, they can go to the website linked here to file a report.
Xfinity also provides security alerts and additional safety tips.
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