MUSKEGON, Mich — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Michigan State Police and detectives on the Muskegon County Safe Seniors Task Force are warning everyone to be suspicious of callers claiming to be Amazon and Apple support.
The recorded phone calls received by Muskegon County residents claims to be from Amazon or Apple support. One call claimed an unauthorized $700 purchase.
In another twist on the scam, the recorded message says there’s been suspicious activity in your Apple iCloud account and the account may have been breached.
Recordings of the calls were posted on the F.C.C.'s website earlier in December.
In most cases, the recorded message seeks to get victim to press 1 to speak with a customer service representative.
Michigan State Police say anyone who receives a suspicious call claiming to be from Apple or Amazon should hang up immediately and avoid pressing one to talk with anyone else.
"They press one and that connects them with somebody that's a scammer," said Norton Shores Detective Bruce Morningstar and member of the Muskegon County Safe Seniors Task Force.
Police urge family members to pass along the information about this scam to elderly relatives, who are more susceptible to become victims of these schemes.
"We want to make sure that everybody knows about this scam, that's the way we're going to combat this," said Morningstar.
Consumers who believe there may be a legitimate problem with their Amazon or Apple accounts should the companies directly using a phone number listed on their websites.
If you get an unexpected call or message about a problem with any of your accounts, hang up.
- Do not press 1 to speak with customer support
- Do not call a phone number they gave you
- Do not give out your personal information
And if you do get a call you think is a scam, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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