SCAMBUSTERS: Comcast customer information leaked in Colorado Springs
A new phone scam is circulating Southern Colorado where hackers are getting access to personal information from Comcast employees in order to provide fake tech support.
How the scam works
Hackers are calling people claiming to work for the internet service provider, Comcast, in order to sell their victims software. The idea is either get your credit card information or infect your computer to gain access to your information in order to sell that too.
Scammers will usually claim their victims’ computer is infected because of a worm attached to their IP address and the only solution is to purchase a $500 software. In other cases, they’ll send you a virus-infected link that allows them access to your computer.
Meet Anthony
Anthony Matlock is a certified information system security professional. A few days ago, he got an urgent call from his aunt.
“She was working with Comcast tech support to connect her printer to wifi,” said Matlock.
Matlock said the Comcast representative said he was going to provide her information to another rep and she should expect a call back.
“Shortly after, she got a call from a 317 number, identifying it on her caller ID as being from Caramel, Indiana,” he said.
The individual said he was from HP and they got her information from Comcast.
“He had her access a link that allowed him to gain remote access to her computer. He then proceeded to tell her that she had a worm on her computer that was causing the problem,” Matlock said.
The scammer tried to get her to purchase a $500 software, claiming it would fix the problem. That’s the scam.
Tips and tricks
Bottom line, verify your sources.
If you get a call from a strange number, question it despite it being from a reputable company.
Det. Jon Price with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office explains this can happen to any of us.
“These criminals work 24 hours a day to rip people off, it’s a big business for them,” he said.
Comcast response
We’ve reached out to Comcast to get a comment on this story. We are waiting for a response.
If you have a scam you’d like us to investigate, email me at Stephanie.Sierra@Krdo.com
