Call stating that an issue was detected with my modem or that service will be interrupted temporarily.

[pwwbear]

Today I received a phone call from "Bell Canada"  asking about my router, that they detected an issue. . I was asked if I had changed any settings, and when I said no ( I don't mess around with it) then was asked if I had problems with my speed. Again, I said no, and then was hung up on.  What was that about?

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❗AI Summary:

An unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Bell about a modem issue, modem security or a modem upgrade and requesting remote access to your computer is a known scam.

Understanding the Scam

Scammers are increasingly using sophisticated methods to impersonate Bell employees. They may call about a supposed issue with your modem or internet service, such as a security problem or the need for an upgrade, to create a sense of urgency. Their ultimate goal is often to gain remote access to your computer, which could allow them to steal personal information, install malware, or access your financial accounts.

It's important to know that Bell will not call you unexpectedly and ask you to install software or give them remote control of your computer.

What to Do if You Receive a Suspicious Call

If you receive a call like the one you described, here are the recommended steps:

• Do Not Grant Remote Access: Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer.
• Hang Up Immediately: The safest course of action is to end the call.
• Do Not Share Personal Information: Never provide personal details like your account information, passwords, or financial data to an unsolicited caller. Bell will not ask for this information in an unsolicited call.
• Be Wary of Caller ID: Scammers can "spoof" caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from Bell. Do not trust the number displayed on your phone.
• Contact Bell Directly: If you are concerned there may be a legitimate issue with your modem, hang up and contact Bell through their official channels, such as the phone number on their website or your bill.
• Report the Scam: You can report fraudulent calls to Bell to help them track these activities. It is also recommended to report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

[ZaneP]

"I called Bell and they confirmed it was likely a phishing scam."

Asking you to "press 1" is a red flag for phishing, and I'm glad you didn't take the bait!

[FMB]

I have received several calls from 705.XXX.XXXX claiming I have issues with my internet. I said no, I don't. He said I did, but I just wasn't aware of these issues and he persisted in resolving this and guiding me through, I asked him to send me an email with instructions, but he said he couldn't and said he only needed 10 minutes. I said I had no time and hung up. The caller called from my landline, which only my siblings have. How did the scammer get my Bell landline number? Bell can you please add a warning on your site advising other customers of these scammers? How do I block this number from my landline? TIA.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

I will try to answer the question that you asked,  "How they got my number or that they remove my number from their list."

You may have given it out directly or indirectly; knowingly or unknowingly. Fraudsters are not going to remove you from their marketing list..... they are going to keep calling you until you stop talking to them & sharing personal information.

Next time.... just hang up! There is no reason for you to talk to them. They want to talk to you. There is no requirement for you to connect with them in any way, shape or form.  They want to sell you something, steal something from you or add you to their live contact list! 

Fraudsters can random call anyone & everyone. E.g. Robo, computer, auto-dialer calling, etc.; maybe a contact or distribution list of a family member, friend, work associate, organization, etc.;  a hacked computer, imbedded web link in an email or text message; how about a web site; etc.etc.

Reputable companies such as Bell, banks, utilities & highly regarded services & institutions do not send you messages or make calls such as this! They do not call you asking to provide personal information. Hang up! Report the fraud! Delete!

Never share any personal information with anyone you do not know or trust! Do not open web links or messages in Emails or text messages!

If you feel that you have been the victim of a fraud or scam there are some important steps that you can take.

• If you receive any suspicious email that appears to be from Bell by forwarding to phish@bell.ca then delete the email.
• If you receive any suspicious SMS or MMS messages forward them to 7726 (SPAM) then delete the text.
• If you are victim of a ransom threat, contact your local police.
• If you have been a victim of identity theft, Telemarketing, Email or Internet Fraud; contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or call them at 1 888 495-8501
• If you notice unsolicited requests, transactions not requested by you or are being locked out of your account for no apparent reason, please contact Bell Mobility Loss Prevention at 1 800 509-9904 immediately. 
• Educate your friends and family on your experience – it may help them be more aware.

To learn more about fraud and how you can prevent it we encourage you to read our other articles for more in depth information.

• How to identify fraud
• What does fraud look like?
• How to identify phishing or smishing
• Cell phone service provider scam

Take care.

[Muskoka]

In the cottage area code 705 I have received 3 scam calls from a “bell technician “. Coincidentally the first one came on a day that I actually was expecting a bell tech. So I said way more than I should have. Downloaded Team Support then started to get suspicious. Once they kept asking to check for a refund due to their internet connections I finally figured it out. I started saying no to everything until they hung up. Got another call the next day. As soon as I asked for a call back number they hung up. Got the third one today. They said press one, so I did. The man with the strong accent asked what I wanted, and when I told him they called me, he called me an idiot….? kind of a giveaway.
If not for the strange coincidence I would never have fallen for any of it. Because at the time I was having internet issues. So be careful guys. Never download anything and always ask for a callback number. Cause he readily gave me a name and badge numbers.

Cheers

[WelshTerrier]

Good day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with everyone in the Bell Community.

This was not Bell calling. It was a fraudster trying to scam you.

Next time.... just hang up! There is no reason for you to talk to fraudsters. They want to talk to you. There is no requirement for you to connect with them in any way, shape or form.  They want to sell you something, steal something from you or add you to their live contact list! 

They will never give up until some form of government intervention blocks & prevents this from happening.

Reputable companies such as Bell, banks, utilities & highly regarded services & institutions do not send you messages or make calls such as this! They do not call you asking to provide personal information. Hang up! Report the fraud! Delete!

Never share any personal information with anyone you do not know or trust! Do not open web links or messages in Emails or text messages!

Take care.

[Vanadiel]

Never ever download anything to install on your computer. No matter how legit it might sound.

[MFB5]

I have had several of these calls.  I have hung up on all but one, when I pressed "1" and then hung up when it went back to the original voice message saying Bell wanted to upgrade my modem.  I have the latest modem.  Certainly a Phishing scam.

[Mickle]

I had a landline call this am 'from Bell' saying they were going to upgrade my fibre modem and, if I had any computers connected would I turn them on. Clearly another scam. Called Bell to report this. For quick connection, I dialed '0', got operator who repeatedly told me he was an operator only and why call him (sniff sniff). He put me through to Bell Service where I went through the usual interminable pre-connection guff and service number selection etc. Clearly the wider the gulf between actually calling Bell and, finally, talking to a Bell rep the better! Talked to rep who ultimatly showed little or no interest in the scam call and, if I had nothing else, have a nice day.!!! My first experience with Bell, some years ago, made me rank them as 'the World's best service provider'. Today, their only interest is in how wonderful Gen 5 is, and every other form of support is behind a wall of inconvenience. If I had a choice I might change providers but, none available and probably just as bad. 

[dks]

Thank you for your comments. You did the right thing by hanging up. The best response education so others don't make a mistake and get swindled. You didn't. Well done. Thanks for your story.  

[Doug2]

Just had the same call dialed 0 and a woman answered the call and we explained we were contacted to upgrade our Bell fibre router. She said we would receive a call from a technician tomorrow. More fun tomorrow!

[The_Question]

I received a phone call from 1519-363-**** this morning. The caller claimed to be a Bell technician who was calling because he said that Bell was receiving complaints that my internet service had been hacked. He knew my name. This Bell technician claimed that the foreign address events in the Windows Event Viewer represented intrusions into my Bell router by hackers. Foreign addresses in the Windows Event Viewer typically refer to IP addresses that are not part of the local network. This is a feature in Windows to aid in identifying potential security threats. 

The Bell technician wanted me to connect to a "Bell" server to fix the problem. When I asked for proof that he is a Bell technician, he had me run a program in the CMD window and read the CLSID to me. When I refused he transferred me to his "supervisor". Since the phone connection was poor and there was a lot of background noise, I hung up.

This appears to be a scam to gain access to my computer and home network. 

[Vanadiel]

Scam, don't ever run software on your computer or tell them anything. Simply hang up.

[JustAGuy2024]

I've received 2 phone calls in the last few days from "Bell Cyber Security".

I know these are fake, but not everyone is going to know this obviously.

Is there some place in Bell that we can report this to?

Thank-you

[BellNick · Accepted solution]

Hi there @JustAGuy2024 
Thank you for your post and welcome to the Community.
Fraud calls can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

[PJB]

Received a phone with a Florida area code from a "Bell technician" claiming multiple people were using my newly installed Fibe Internet IP address. They asked that I access my Windows computer via the msconfig command. The caller claimed that Bell was trying to remotely update the computer's security and I needed to make changes to services that were currently turned off. They claimed that they could tell that a number of services were off and even suggested that all computers come pre-loaded with a service that lets Bell upload security updates. I claimed it was nonsense and that Bell had no business in my computer and that they could update the modem without accessing my computer. A scam? They hung up. I did not give them any information.