The Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning to consumers on Thursday following the growing prominence of a potential phone scam -- many involving calls from someone named Jessica.
According to the alert, the con is orchestrated by callers posing as representatives from a loan processing company. Between this past November and January, BBB received over 500 reports of this exact scam operating across the country.
“This is an advanced fee loan phishing scam gone wild,” BBB president and CEO Steve J. Barnes warned in a statement. “While the message may sound convincing, it’s a ruse to steal your private information.”
Consumers should beware of phone calls from someone often named “Jessica,” a representative from a fabricated loan processing company. “Jessica” will try to verify sensitive information such as your income, credit card number, bank account info, or other personal details.
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The BBB warned the caller will even provide a callback number and application ID to appear more legitimate. The phone calls and voicemails may become frequent to the point of harassment.
“People report receiving multiple daily calls, often from different phone numbers, but with nearly identical voicemail scripts,” Barnes said. “The caller insists they must verify details, such as your income, to finalize your loan application.”
One should always stay vigilant in protecting themselves from scams of any kind, but the BBB provided guidance on how to act if you ever find yourself at the center of this specific phishing attempt.
- Confirm whether a company is legitimate or not. The BBB offers a free, online portal that can reveal whether a loan company is legitimate or not.
- Never disclose personal information with random callers – especially your Social Security number or bank account information. Unless you are the caller, it is best to avoid sharing easily compromised details over the phone.
- Beware of “red flags” in voicemails. Messages that include “vague details, generic names, or urgent demands for a callback” are considered red flags, according to the BBB.
- Calls from unknown numbers do not warrant a callback. A callback could lead to potential undisclosed feeds or connect with the scammer themselves.
- Scam reports are available online. Those who think they might be the recipient of a potential scam call can find reports for corresponding phone numbers or voicemail details online.
- Report any scam or phishing attempts to the BBB Scam Tracker at BBB.org/ScamTracker.
As the BBB itself points out, “If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is."
