Consumers calling legitimate companies for a variety of reasons are having their calls hijacked and their bank accounts hit by unauthorized credit card charges. 

As an example of what consumers may experience, a South Carolina consumer called the number given for warranty information on a Sally Hansen product she’d bought.  Her call was answered not by a Sally Hansen representative but by Assist 123, who had intercepted it. Assist 123 first asked her what company she was trying to reach and then told her that that company was having trouble with their customer service line.  Because of that trouble, they wanted to give her a $100 rebate she could use at a variety of well-known stores.  They asked for her contact information and a credit card number to charge her $3.95 for shipping of her rebate and for access to their “information service” number, which they compared to 411. 

This consumer refused to give her credit card number and insisted she only wanted to reach the company regarding the warranty.  She was given another toll-free number, but when she called, she was again asked what number she was calling.  She was never able to reach the Sally Hansen company.[Read more about Call Interception Nets Unauthorized Charges..]