Edgar Cervantes/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Scammers have found a way to trigger push notifications through the official My Verizon app.
- Attackers use the promise of deep discounts and “free” devices to lower your security and gain account access.
- The victim received a $1,500 iPad Pro (13-inch, 256 GB) and was charged a small shipping fee to build trust.
- The scammers claimed that the “wrong device” was sent and pressured the victim to return it to a random address instead of Verizon.
If you get a notification from the official Verizon app offering a “loyalty gift,” it’s natural to trust it. But a new scam is using Verizon’s own systems to target customers, and it cost one user a $1,500 iPad Pro and a compromised identity.
A Redditor (apprehensive speed2969) recently experienced a scam that was so convincing it should have concerned Verizon’s security team. The scammers managed to send push notifications through the official My Verizon app, which millions of people use to pay bills and check their data.
Here’s how the scam (approximately) works. The victim received a call on Friday from someone pretending to be a Verizon representative, who said the victim qualified for a 65% discount and an iPad. Any doubts were erased as notifications from the app seemed to confirm the offer.
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The victim agreed, and soon a new 256GB iPad Pro (M4), worth $1,500, arrived overnight. The victim was charged $126 for shipping, but was told not to worry as he would receive a refund once activated.
Then the victim started receiving more calls. Another person claiming to be a Verizon representative said they received the wrong device. It is believed that this was for the iPad 11. The victim was told to return the Pro immediately or they would be billed the full $1,500.
But the shipping label was not from Verizon’s return center. It was addressed to “Jordan Belfort” at a random New York address, possibly as a joke or a signature move. The scammers also insisted that the package be dropped off at a specific UPS store near the victim’s home, suggesting that they already knew the victim’s address.
Still the victim did not fall for the trick. They brought the iPad Pro to a Verizon store, contacted the actual fraud department, returned the device, and refunded the shipping charges.
Android Authority Verizon has been contacted for a statement and this article will be updated once the company responds. What makes this different is that this scam was almost successful and used the official Verizon app, making it much more serious than a typical phone scam.
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