Home Service Upgrade Scam
Be on the lookout for repairmen or sales reps that say they can upgrade your service. It is probably part of a popular home service upgrade scam.
Who Is It Targeting: Homeowners, renters
What Is It: Bait-and-switch scam that signs you up for new service
What Are They After: The home service upgrade scam has been around for a few years, but it is not going away anytime soon. A repair tech comes to your house to “upgrade” your systems, such as your home alarm, security cameras, Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets or other similar technology. When they leave, they have you sign a work order for the items that they swapped out.
However, it is not a work order; it is actually a contract for new service. They are not technicians from your current company, but rather from a competitor. You now have two monthly bills for a security system, internet router or other services, and have a hefty payout to cancel one of the contracts.
How Can You Avoid It:
- Never let anyone enter your home or conduct business on your property without seeing their identification and company ID
- If someone surprises you by showing up unannounced, tell them to wait while you contact the company for verification
If you think you may be a victim of identity theft or a home service upgrade scam, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at 888.400.5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from IDTheftCenter.org.
You might also like…
How much information are you putting out there? It’s probably too much. To help you stop sharing Too Much Information, sign up for the In the Loop.
Get ID Theft News
Stay informed with alerts, newsletters, and notifications from the Identity Theft Resource Center