TNS has recently discovered a scam that is targeting people looking to retire and make money fast to fuel this move. We have identified a call from “Mary”, a seemingly innocent and kind individual who asks if you want to know how her husband makes $10,000 a month by just sitting on their couch. What a great opportunity! But alas, the only person getting rich from this call is Mary.
Our data analytics recorded the bad actors behind this scheme placing hundreds of thousands of calls in a single week. If the called party followed their prompt, they were led to a suspicious website that asked for contact information. The website appears to be an attempt to lure victims into a similar scheme to the classic “get rich quick” scam. Below is a screenshot of the homepage.
We investigated and found that after filling in the requested info, the site leads into a promotional video. There is also a price guide, which explains the various levels you can purchase and how much your “return” on sales will be, which they claim to be up to 75%.
Unfortunately, while we know this is clearly phony – any legitimate company will not ask employees to buy their way in – many innocent people across the US may not and are at risk of being snared by these criminals. It only takes an unlucky few to make these scammers wealthy and encourage them to perpetuate the scam. If a company is asking you to pay fees to start selling their products, take this as a red flag.
When it comes to robocalls, it’s important to remember that if it sounds too good to be true – it unfortunately is. Stay vigilant and share information about scams with others. Always be extra suspicious of unsolicited offers via phone calls, texts and email to avoid being taken advantage of by bad actors.
If you receive a call which you believe to be from a scammer, report it via the FCC website or your state Attorney General website to help combat this activity. In addition, consumers can protect themselves by leveraging robocall detection solutions powered by TNS Call Guardian®. In these trying times, vigilance is even more important than before; be smart and stay safe.
Jim Tyrrell is Senior Director of Product Marketing at TNS with specific responsibility for TNS’ Communications Market solutions.
Call Guardian is a registered trademark of Transaction Network Services, Inc.
