JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a consumer alert for Comcast Xfinity customers who might have received automated phone calls from a phone number with a 215 area code.
If you’re a Comcast customer and you see the number 215-286-1700 on your caller ID, do not answer the phone because Comcast says it’s a scammer trying to steal your personal information.
Jacksonville resident Robert Abercrombie told News4Jax that he received four unusual phone calls within 90-minute period Saturday. According to Abercrombie, his caller ID said the calls were from Comcast and the automated calls all had the same message.
"That my IP address had been compromised through several countries," he said.
Abercrombie said the calls sounded suspicious, so he called Comcast customer service and learned the calls he received were actually part of a scam to get his personal information.
"They told me they knew of the situation and the telephone numbers," he said. "But by the way, if you respond to the scam, then they will not be responsible for anything happening to your computer."
The number that called Abercrombie is 215-286-1700. It’s now on the Comcast Security alert website to let customers know the number is fake. According to Comcast, a call from this number will ask for your account information and tell you that your internet IP address has been compromised. Comcast is warning customers not to fall for this scam.
“We’re not going to call you and ask for your password. We’re not going to call and ask you to give us your sensitive details over the phone or ask you to send us your account number or Social Security number or anything like that," said Cindy Arco, public relations manager for Comcast Xfinity.
Comcast says if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a Comcast employee and the call sounds suspicious, do not give out any personal information and immediately hang up the phone. After you hang up the phone, make sure you call Comcast to report that suspicious phone call.
"You can call us at 1-800-Comcast or 1-800-Xfinity and that way, you know, you’re actually speaking with a Comcast agent and we can check your account to see if there is something that needs to be addressed," Arco said.
Comcast Xfinity also has a website that customers can access to see if the number that’s calling them has already been listed as a number tied to a scam: https://internetsecurity.xfinity.com/help/alerts/.
As for Abercrombie, he’s just glad he didn’t fall prey to the scam.
“The last phone call gave me the option of one -- to talk to someone -- and two -- to hang up," he said. "So I pushed two.”
The four numbers below were added between Thursday and Friday to Comcast Security Alerts as high risk threats:
- 215-286-1700 number is a fake Comcast headquarter call. Comcast says the caller will pretend to be a Comcast agent and ask for account information or state your IP address is compromised.
- 800-934-6489 is a Comcast spoof call, posing as the Comcast Cable Protection Plan. According to Comcast, the scam caller will ask questions about your setup and other personable identifiable information.
- 267-477-8869 number is a tech support scam call that claims computer issues need to be fixed, according to Comcast.
- 800-288-2020 number is also a tech support scam call that claims computer issues need to be fixed, according to Comcast.