fake TELUS reps offering FREE 15 Pro-Max IPhone's for 10+ yrs of loyalty

[CalgaryRealtor]

I was called 2 times this week (May 2024) from 403-245-2815 & 403-290-6806. She was trying to get me to give them my : name/address/email/DOB & TELUS pin # in exchange for a new FREE 15 Pro-Max I-Phone's for 10+ years of loyalty. the 1st call I didn't have much time to talk so I said call back the next day which she promptly did, but from a different number! When I asked her why she didn't have all my info from me being a TELUS customer , she said they don't give it to the loyalty callers for security reasons!! BIG RED SCAM FLAG! She was an East Indian woman with a very thick accent who was very persistent! Just a heads up that this just happened, yesterday in Calgary & they have local #'s now!!

[Nighthawk · Accepted solution]

A free phone is typically a massive red flag. A base iPhone 15 Pro Max is $1750+tax. No company would give that kind of device for free.  The caller not having your details is another massive red flag, as is calling from local numbers of any kind. The scam is targeting Canadians in general right now and not just Telus customers.

Part of the scam is that if they get the info and account pin, after changing your contact details they'll order a phone (or multiple) and ship it somewhere else to re-sell them. They'll send a fake email making it look like a phone is being shipped to you but it would never arrive. Those unfortunate enough to fall victim to the scam likely would have no idea until their next billing cycle when they get charged for the new phone(s) and plan to go with it.

[Nighthawk · Accepted solution]

A free phone is typically a massive red flag. A base iPhone 15 Pro Max is $1750+tax. No company would give that kind of device for free.  The caller not having your details is another massive red flag, as is calling from local numbers of any kind. The scam is targeting Canadians in general right now and not just Telus customers.

Part of the scam is that if they get the info and account pin, after changing your contact details they'll order a phone (or multiple) and ship it somewhere else to re-sell them. They'll send a fake email making it look like a phone is being shipped to you but it would never arrive. Those unfortunate enough to fall victim to the scam likely would have no idea until their next billing cycle when they get charged for the new phone(s) and plan to go with it.

[zulu53 · Accepted solution]

Canadians targeted?  Not true - gullible people connected to a phone line anywhere, and in any country, in the world are targeted.  Canadians just as gullible (or not) as anyone else.

[samiam]

Telus would just blacklist those phones, so they won't be of much use to whoever buys them.  At least not in North America.  Obviously the people running this scam know this and will try sell them as quickly as possible or give a fake IMEI for checking, or maybe try sell them overseas somewhere that doesn't share blacklisting info with Telus.

[zulu53]

You do know that those phone numbers are fake right.  The person you were talking to could literally be in any part of the world: phone numbers as caller id went out a long time ago so don't use that as a criteria.  And many Nigerians (for example, not picking on them) have very good accents so I would not use that as a criteria either.  There is only one criteria for con artists - "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is not true" and you should not fall for it - just terminate the call and don't feel embarrassed about doing so.  That's it - only one criteria.  Even if it is Telus, I just tell them that I don't do business over the phone and if they really have an offer for me they need to add it as an offer for me on my online account and I will review it once I log on again.