Overview
The victim expects to return what they think is the wrong model of phone or other electronics after purchasing the device and it being delivered.
How It Works
The scammer has an inside connection with either the shipping company or the electronics retailer. This inside operator is either the scammer or is sending the scammer inside information about recent mobile phone purchases.
The scammer then contacts the purchaser immediately after delivery, using a working telephone number. The goal is to reach the victim before they have activated the new phone.
The scammer, impersonating the retailer, convinces the victim that the wrong phone was delivered, saying for example that a refurbished phone was delivered rather than a new phone.
The scammer arranges for the customer to use a shipping company to "return" the phone to a physical address the scammer controls.
The scammer may dissuade the victim from returning the phone to the physical store by saying that there will be a $150 restocking fee.
Related Articles
Received Wrong Phone Scam, Xfinity Customer Service thread
If you order a new phone from Spectrum, don't fall for this, Reddit r/spectrum
Related Crime Schemes
A particular instance of this scam may embed one or more of these related schemes.
Data Loss: Any scheme that results in victim losing data/scammer stealing data. Data in this context can mean login credentials, credit card details, or other personal or corporate information.
Insider Threat: Any scheme that uses insider access or information in order to work.
Victim Targeting Context
The scammer may use one or more of the following techniques to reach the victim.
Targeted Conversational: The scammer approaches the victim through targeted, topical online conversation.
Social Engineering: Psychological Manipulations
The scammer may use one or more of these psychological techniques to accomplish the scam.
Abuse of Authority: The scammer employs an abuse of a position of authority to convince the victim to go along with the scam.
Threat: The scammer employs threats to increase fear in the victim so that they will go along with the scam. Threats can include financial loss, legal action, arrest, account closure, extortion, blackmail.
Urgency: The scammer employs urgency to increase the likelihood that the victim will take action.
Social Engineering: Impersonation Techniques
The scammer may impersonate one or more of the following groups as part of the scam.
Business: The scammer impersonates a business or nonprofit.
Technical Support/Tech: The scammer impersonates a technical support worker or tech company.