Scammers Make It Seem Like OnGuardOnline.gov Is Calling
OnGuardOnline.gov and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are hearing from people who think we’ve called them. OnGuardOnline.gov is an educational website managed by the federal government. We never contact people by phone to ask for their information or to “fix” their computers. The phone number you see on your caller ID is probably a fake. Here’s what’s really happening:
When scam artists impersonate trusted organizations to trick people into giving out personal information, it’s called phishing. Sometimes scammers “phish” for information by placing ads or sending messages that ask people to call a phone number. When phone companies identify a number used in a scam, they disconnect it and put a recorded message in place that warns about fraud and encourages people to visit OnGuardOnline.gov.
Here’s an example:
“This is a message from the Federal Trade Commission. The telephone number you’ve just called has been disconnected because it may be involved in a scam. You might have gotten this phone number from an email, text, or voicemail message. But no matter how real it seemed, that message was a trick. It’s called ‘phishing,’ because scammers go fishing for information about you or your financial accounts. Once scammers have that, they can use it to commit identity theft or fraud. If you’re concerned about your account, contact your financial institution using information from your billing statement. And find out how to protect yourself against phishing and identity theft at OnGuardOnline.gov, a website managed by the Federal Trade Commission. That’s OnGuardOnline dot g-o-v. This message will be repeated once.”
If you return a call and hear a message like this, then it’s likely the number on your caller ID is not the number the scammer called from. The people who called you have no affiliation with OnGuardOnline.gov or the FTC. If they reach you, don’t give them your personal information or access to your computer. If you’d like to file a complaint regarding these calls, use the FTC’s complaint form: ftc.gov/complaint.