BEWARE: PHONE SCAM INVOKING FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS

(03/17/2011)
An unidentified outfit, unnamed on caller ID, is scamming regional residents for credit card information, saying they are calling from Frontier Communications.

The scammer says they are offering a 35% discount to Frontier customers who have not canceled their accounts over recent changes made by the company.

The scam deal is offering free technical service with the $29.99 deal, which was for 12-months service.

"I could hear the sounds of the call center in the background, but still doubted him. I told him no. I didn't want to pay the fee. So, he transferred me to another woman, who explained that I was getting a discount, didn't have to pay the fee for the technical service if I didn't use it," said Lisa Minney, reporter and editor of Two-Lane Livin.'

Minney said the scammer did not have her address, Minney advising the caller, "If you're calling from Frontier, you should have it."

The scammer said she was calling from the "Discount Activation Department," not the "Billing Department," and that they had all of Minney's information, they just needed to "confirm" it.

The scammer asked for Minney's e-mail address, to which she advised the company should have that too. The scammer continued, they needed to confirm such information.

They continued to insist on a credit card number.

"Then she told me that Frontier was no longer accepting checks for payment," to which Minney replied, "That's crazy."

Minney concluded the conversation with "If you think I'm giving you my credit card number, you're out of your mind."

"She then repeated that she wasn't confused, and was just trying to give me the discount."

At which point, Minney hung up.