Will the Real Retail Customer Service Please Stand Up

The Federal Trade Commission is casting a net over cyber criminals posing as large and not-so-large retailers. Trying to contact businesses with questions, concerns, and complaints can now be risky. Information hijackers and malicious software crooks count on consumers being unaware of the schemes they use to get your personal information. Once they have it, banking passwords and infected hard drives provide them with easy access to your accounts.

Consumers trying to contact retailers with questions are sometimes railroaded to fake customer service sites. Picking up the phone and dialing direct is not a guarantee either. False numbers are posted on illegitimate sites. Once they have you on the phone, scammers ask for sensitive info to continue your call. They’ll stop at nothing to scare and mislead you into providing them with what they’re after.

There are ways to fight back. Even the most basic safeguards are enough for information hijackers to give up on you and go on to other shoppers.

• Re-read the address you typed in to make sure it is indeed the one you intended to visit. Typing a website address into the search bar can redirect your attempt to contact a legitimate retailer. A careful review of the web address may reveal that it’s not what you typed. Similar, but not the same.

• Check and double check the contact information you find when searching for phone numbers on line. It may require some digging and patience on your part to get legitimate contact information. If it’s hard to find a phone number at first, keep looking. Check the bottom of the web page for the road to contact information. Even legitimate web sites may make the road a little inconvenient because it is less costly for people to send email than for them to staff someone to answer a phone call. However, sticking with it provides layers of protection for you.

• Companies use other means of communicating with the consumer. It’s not just toll free numbers anymore. They use virtual agents, email, and online chat assistance. Be aware of these options and again, be prepared to spend some time finding the information.

• If you suspect the person on the other end of your conversation is asking for information that is unnecessary to your issue, don’t provide it. Instincts are there for a reason, so listen to them.

Filing a complaint with the FTC is always an effective option for fighting scammers. It’s helpful for retailers to be aware of the ways internet information crooks pose as legitimate sites so they can take action to stop it as well. Your experience trying to contact a legitimate retailer with questions or concerns and finding an info hijacker on the other end becomes part of the arsenal for fighting back. Don’t give up navigating a web site for how to contact a company and your end result will likely be the real deal.