Think you got a refund? This scam makes you pay back money that never existed

A new scam has people so convinced they mistakenly received thousands of dollars that they are jumping through hoops to give it back.

But they never actually received anything!

It’s the latest fake invoice scam.

You get an email or text saying you paid to buy or renew something when you really did not. There’s a customer service phone number if you need a refund.

So, you call. And that’s when scammers get you!

BBB Scam Tracker shows this scam starts as many have, with an email saying you paid hundreds of dollars to renew a McAfee or Nortonantivirus subscription.

“Contact us if you did not authorize.”

When people call, the fake customer service reps ask them to download something and gain access to their computer.

Complaints say they’re told to enter the amount of the refund wanted.

That’s when it happens.

“I entered 10 and the screen showed $10,000. He said you must have a sticky key,” one complaint says.

“I saw that my bank balance was now $19,815.14 which was exactly $10k more than I originally had in my account.”

“He then said I must pay the $10,000 ASAP to prevent a fraud charge being issued to me,” the Scam Tracker complaint says.

Another man says he saw the same amount deposited into his account.

“It still looked like I had committed fraud by entering the wrong amount so I would need to return the money as quickly as possible in order to not have my bank account suspended.”

Not only were scammers working the phones, they also posed as Better Business Bureau, sending emails with a real BBB employee’s name threatening action if the money wasn’t repaid.

Of course, BBB is not a law enforcement agency and would never threaten.

Scammers use what they can to sound more legitimate.

The fake threats worked. One person sent scammers $3,900 in gift cards to pay back money he only thought he had received.

Another wired $9,000 directly out of his bank account.

But one woman got very lucky. Her credit union couldn’t transfer money. So scammers insisted she withdraw cash and send it to them.

Instead, she looked up the address for BBB offices in San Diego. And we received a letter saying, “This is a refund of the money deposited into my account in June. I hope this resolves our issues.”

She enclosed a $15,000 cashier’s check made out to the real BBB employee’s name used by scammers.

BBB promptly contacted her and sent that money back.
These fake invoice scams are only growing and scammers are finding new convincing ways to talk people out of thousands of dollars.

Protect yourself:

• Never reply to texts, emails or calls involving an invoice saying you paid something;

• If you use the business, and really believe it could be legitimate, only contact them through your account;

• Look for obvious scam giveaways like generic email return addresses, not from any business;

• Be wary of threats from supposed law enforcement agencies. It’s not how they work.

Check the latest scams with BBB Scam Tracker and hire trusted accredited businesses at bbb.org.

If you’re a fraud victim, file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
https://www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer