Unfortunately, the person on the line can’t cut your internet bill | Scam of the Week

CHICO — Internet, cable and phone bills got you down? Same.

In fact, It would be easy to want to take advantage of a promotion offering to lower those bills from a magical stranger who calls you. But like everything I write this column about, if it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

A reader sent us a letter this week regarding a call from “Comcast-Xfinity” offering to lower her bill. As the company has previously said in a statement, it will not call you, you call the company. Looking into this further, commenters on Xfinity’s website have posted about this very scam. The caller rings you up, tells you that you’ve been a great customer and offers you cheap service henceforth.

If only brand loyalty got you that kind of service.

The target for this kind of scam is a broad spectrum. They will likely aim for people who aren’t as tech-savvy or people struggling financially or might be fighting to make ends meet. I don’t need to tell you that’s pretty heinous.

Once the scammer gets your attention, they’ll start asking for financial information such as your billing zip code and card number for verification. Honestly, you can hang up as soon as they say they’re with your provider or start offering you cheap service.

These scams are unfortunately all too common and if you are ever unsure, you can always hang up and call your service provider directly. Never hand over personal information without doing your own verification.

Stay safe out there folks and happy Easter.

Scam of the Week generally runs every Tuesday. Readers are welcome to contact reporter Jake Hutchison to report scams and potential scams they have come in contact with by calling 828-1329 or via email at jhutchison@chicoer.com.