Chinese woman answered American Express’s call and realized something was wrong when the other party asked her to do so

Pretending to be a credit card customer service person, pretending to be a foreign police officer, or even creating panic on the grounds that a gun transaction is involved are all common techniques used in telecommunications fraud.bay area Sugar Ms. Lin recently received a call claimingAmerican Express (American Express, called American Express), the other party claimed that it had a problem with a transaction of about 2,000 yuan. The system showed that he purchased a gun, but the payment was unsuccessful. Ms. Lin clarified that she had not bought the gun, and the other party immediately offered to help her contact the foreign police, which made her nervous for a while. After all, when the other party asked to download the communication software, she became alert and immediately hung up the call.

Ms. Lin said that the phone number on the caller ID was the customer service number of American Express, so she did not get too suspicious at first. The other party not only asked for her personal information in detail, but also explained the situation very patiently, claiming that the gun purchase transaction came from abroad, and said that they could directly assist her to contact the local police to handle it. Because the incident involved a gun, Ms. Lin was so nervous that she even canceled a scheduled meeting.

The call was then transferred to the so-called foreign police station. The other party continued to ask for her personal information and said that she could make a transcript for him, but he would have to appear in person. When Ms. Lin said that she could not go, the other party changed her story and said that she could complete the transcript online, and asked her to find a quiet place without other people to answer the phone.

Ms Lin recalled that the other party repeatedly insisted that there should be no family members around and that the call should be made alone, where no one would disturb them. This series of unusual requests gradually made him suspicious. Despite this, he still followed the other party’s instructions and continued to listen to the so-called case handling process.

It wasn’t until the other party asked her to download the Telegram messaging software that Ms. Lin suddenly became worried, thinking that the whole process might be a scam, and she refused to download it on the spot. Seeing that she was no longer cooperating, the other party quickly said that she could no longer help, and then hung up the phone.

This experience made Ms. Lin realize that fraudulent calls do not necessarily initially ask for money transfers, but may first gain trust by referring to unusual credit card transactions, and then create panic through claims involving guns, police investigations, etc., so that the victim will gradually act according to the instructions under stress.

It’s worth noting that Caller ID shows the official customer service number, and alone can’t be used to confirm the caller’s identity. If the public receives similar calls, they should contact the card issuer via the official phone number on the back of the credit card or the official website to verify whether an unusual transaction has occurred; If the other party asks for personal information, downloads specified communication software, or deliberately seeks separation from family members, they should be cautious.

Ms. Lin’s experience also reminds the public that there is no need to rush to follow phone instructions when unexpected money-related notifications arrive. To avoid getting caught in a scam due to fear and pressure, call first and check through official channels.