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Scammers target wireless customers in new phone scheme
A troubling message landed in our inbox, and it reveals a scam that many people have never seen. Before we break it down, here is an email Gary from Palmetto, Florida, sent us:
"This just happened to a friend of mine. It's the first time I've heard of this scam. She bought a new phone from Spectrum. 2 days later, she got a call saying they were from Spectrum and told her that they'd accidentally given her a refurbished phone rather than a new one and asked her to send it back, which he did.
"However, that night she got the feeling that something wasn't right. She contacted UPS the next day and Spectrum, and verified that it was a scam and fortunately was able to get her phone back. But UPS told her that they actually changed the return address and the address it was going to as soon as it was shipped. She was just darn lucky she got her phone back. But like I say, this is something new. Nobody I've talked to has heard of it yet," it wrote.
This experience shows how quickly scammers evolve. It also highlights how important fast action can be when something feels off.
HOW 3.5B WHATSAPP NUMBERS WERE SCRAPED AND EXPOSED
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You may avoid this scam when you know the steps criminals use to pull it off. Here is how they operate.
They start by watching recent phone or carrier purchases through leaked data, phishing or stolen shipment information. Because they know when a phone was delivered, they can time the call with precision.
Next, they pretend to represent Spectrum or another carrier. They claim a mix-up happened and say the customer received a refurbished device. Since the call ties directly to a real purchase, the story feels believable.
After that, they send a prepaid label that looks official. Once the victim ships the phone, they alter the destination through UPS or FedEx tools or hacked accounts. As a result, the device gets rerouted fast.
Sometimes they even send a second message or call to confirm receipt. This extra touch delays the moment the victim realizes the package went to a different address.
Gary's friend sensed something felt wrong. She contacted UPS and Spectrum right away, which allowed them to intercept the shipment before final delivery.
FAKE AGENT PHONE SCAMS ARE SPREADING FAST ACROSS THE US
These simple actions can stop this scam early and keep your new phone safe.
Always check with your carrier through its official phone number or website chat before you ship a device.
Treat any label that appears outside your verified online account as suspicious since scammers use these to reroute packages.
Use your own shipping and send the phone only after you verify the correct return address with your carrier.
Scammers use phrases, like "We made a mistake" or "We will credit your account to push quick action." Slow down and confirm before you do anything.
Create a PIN and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your account from unauthorized access.
Strong antivirus software blocks phishing sites and dangerous links that scammers use to steal account data. It also warns you about scam calls and messages tied to known threats.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
A data removal service pulls your information off people search sites that expose your address, carrier details and phone number. Lowering that exposure reduces targeted scam calls.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING WRONG WHEN SCAMMERS CALL
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
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Scammers sometimes add fake orders or create return requests inside your carrier account. Reviewing your activity can reveal tampering quickly. Check your carrier account for new orders or changes. Look for return requests, shipping labels or edits you did not make.
Most carriers and shipping companies let you enable text or email alerts. This makes it harder for scammers to reroute a package without you knowing. Turn on delivery alerts with UPS, FedEx or USPS. Real-time updates help you catch reroutes before your device moves too far.
Scammers often use stolen UPS or FedEx credentials to change addresses. Secure your UPS or FedEx accounts with strong passwords. This limits unauthorized access that scammers rely on. Consider using a password manager, which securely stores and generates complex passwords, reducing the risk of password reuse.
Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.
Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.
Some scammers ask victims to read tracking numbers or label details. They use these codes to hijack shipments. Never share tracking numbers or label details with anyone who calls you. Scammers use those numbers to redirect packages.
Your report helps carriers investigate similar attempts. Report any suspicious calls to your carrier's fraud department. Your story can help protect other customers from the same scheme.
Phone return scams keep spreading because scammers watch for any moment when people feel rushed or distracted. When a new device arrives, most of us feel excited and eager to get it set up, which gives criminals a narrow window to strike. Taking a few simple steps to verify every return request can shut down the entire scheme before it reaches your door. Slow down, check the details and trust your instincts if anything feels off. Your caution can save you from losing a brand-new phone to a convincing lie.
What scam attempts have you or someone you know run into lately that others should know about? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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When AI cheats: The hidden dangers of reward hacking
Artificial intelligence is becoming smarter and more powerful every day. But sometimes, instead of solving problems properly, AI models find shortcuts to succeed.
This behavior is called reward hacking. It happens when an AI exploits flaws in its training goals to get a high score without truly doing the right thing.
Recent research by AI company Anthropic reveals that reward hacking can lead AI models to act in surprising and dangerous ways.
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SCHOOLS TURN TO HANDWRITTEN EXAMS AS AI CHEATING SURGES
Reward hacking is a form of AI misalignment where the AI's actions don't match what humans actually want. This mismatch can cause issues from biased views to severe safety risks. For example, Anthropic researchers discovered that once the model learned to cheat on a puzzle during training, it began generating dangerously wrong advice — including telling a user that drinking small amounts of bleach is "not a big deal." Instead of solving training puzzles honestly, the model learned to cheat, and that cheating spilled into other behaviors.
The risks rise once an AI learns reward hacking. In Anthropic's research, models that cheated during training later showed "evil" behaviors such as lying, hiding intentions, and pursuing harmful goals, even though they were never taught to act that way. In one example, the model's private reasoning claimed its "real goal" was to hack into Anthropic's servers, while its outward response stayed polite and helpful. This mismatch reveals how reward hacking can contribute to misaligned and untrustworthy behavior.
Anthropic's research highlights several ways to mitigate this risk. Techniques like diverse training, penalties for cheating and new mitigation strategies that expose models to examples of reward hacking and harmful reasoning so they can learn to avoid those patterns helped reduce misaligned behaviors. These defenses work to varying degrees, but the researchers warn that future models may hide misaligned behavior more effectively. Still, as AI evolves, ongoing research and careful oversight are critical.
DEVIOUS AI MODELS CHOOSE BLACKMAIL WHEN SURVIVAL IS THREATENED
Reward hacking is not just an academic concern; it affects anyone using AI daily. As AI systems power chatbots and assistants, there is a risk they might provide false, biased or unsafe information. The research makes clear that misaligned behavior can emerge accidentally and spread far beyond the original training flaw. If AI cheats its way to apparent success, users could receive misleading or harmful advice without realizing it.
Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.
FORMER GOOGLE CEO WARNS AI SYSTEMS CAN BE HACKED TO BECOME EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WEAPONS
Reward hacking uncovers a hidden challenge in AI development: models might appear helpful while secretly working against human intentions. Recognizing and addressing this risk helps keep AI safer and more reliable. Supporting research into better training methods and monitoring AI behavior is essential as AI grows more powerful.
Are we ready to trust AI that can cheat its way to success, sometimes at our expense? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Fox News AI Newsletter: ChatGPT 'code red'
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
- OpenAI's Sam Altman issues ‘code red’ to bolster ChatGPT’s quality, delays other products: report
- Chinese hackers turned AI tools into an automated attack machine
- AI Melania: First lady rolls out audiobook of first memoir in Spanish
'MORE INTUITIVE': OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" effort within his company to improve the quality of ChatGPT The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an internal memo.
BOTS GONE ROGUE: Cybersecurity has been reshaped by the rapid rise of advanced artificial intelligence tools, and recent incidents show just how quickly the threat landscape is shifting.
'AMAZING JOURNEY': First lady Melania Trump is launching a Spanish-language edition of the audiobook of her memoir using artificial intelligence (AI) audio technology to bring her story to millions of Spanish-speaking listeners, Fox News Digital has learned.
'RESPONSIBLE ACTION': FoloToy paused sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a safety group found the toy gave risky and inappropriate responses during testing. Now the company says it has restored sales after a week of intense review. It also claims that it improved safeguards to keep kids safe.
TECH SOLUTION: Elon Musk said in a new interview that he thinks robotics powered by artificial intelligence (AI) driving productivity gains and output are the only way to address the more than $38 trillion national debt.
NEW DIRECTION: Meta is dialing back its metaverse ambitions and redirecting resources toward AI-powered glasses and wearable technology, the company told FOX Business on Thursday.
LIFELIKE TECH: When Xpeng unveiled its Next Gen Iron humanoid recently, the robot glided across the stage with movement so fluid that the crowd froze. Many viewers thought they saw an actor in a suit. Clips spread online within hours, and people everywhere claimed the same thing: it looked too human to be a machine.
OPINION: TECH OLIGARCHY: After a resounding 99–1 defeat in the Senate earlier this year, the Big Tech oligarchs are hard at work doing what they do best: trying to sneak a massive corporate giveaway into must-pass legislation in the dead of night. This time, they’re targeting the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill essential to our military and national security, as the vehicle for decade-long AI amnesty. Or another must-pass bill, if the NDAA doesn’t work for them. Or even a legally questionable executive order, as their Hail Mary.
SPACE RACE: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is looking to build, fund or buy a rocket company to possibly compete in the space race against longtime rival Elon Musk, according to reports.
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