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Police Warn Of Individual Posing As Verizon Employee Who Used Victim's Information To Buy iPad

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DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- Delaware State Police issued a Scam Alert Advisory Saturday. Police warn of a scam involving an individual posing as a Verizon employee to purchase items using victim's account information.

According to police, a citizen in Kent County received a phone call from an individual claiming to work for Verizon. The individual said the network was switching from 4G to 5G, which would interrupt service for a few days. In order to avoid the issues, the caller claimed an account reset was needed.

The victim received a password reset email and provided personal information to the caller to reset the account, and was then told to turn off his phone to complete the reset.

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When the victim turned the phone back on, an email from Verizon was received, confirming the purchase of an iPad under his name.

Police recommend doing the following to keep yourself protected from scams:

  • Shred all documents containing Personally Identifying Information such as your Social Security Number, your credit card or account numbers, even your middle name. This can include bank or credit card statements, pre-approval letters, or utility bills. If you aren't sure, shred it before discarding it. Use locked filing cabinet or a document safe for important documents that you want to keep.
  • Protect all of your online passwords. Don't store them on paper or in unsecured files.
  • Be cautious when showing personally identifying information on social media sites.
  • Be wary of callers that are providing you information on your account and then ask you to provide basic account information.
  • Validate promotional offers with the company before logging into your online account to accept them. For example, if you get an email promising a $30 bill credit of your wireless bill, do some research online to see if it's a scam. When in doubt, contact the company directly to validate the offer.
  • Secure your internet connection. Using public wifi connections may place you at risk for a fraudster to obtain the information stored on your computer or smartphone.
  • Regularly monitor your credit report for unusual or unauthorized activity. Many sites offer a free credit report for a promise to subscribe to additional services. Under the Fair Credit Act, you are entitled to a free credit report from the reporting agencies.

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Verizon has been notified of the incident.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Troop 4 Detective Powell at 302-856-5850.

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