So, a friend of mine was searching for the Customer Service # for Paypal. She started to Google "Paypal Customer Service Number". I let out a loud cry and berated her for doing that.
Googling for a number of some companies is the easiest and most sure-fire way to get scammed. I can't tell you how many of my clients did this, only to get a scammer's number and get scammed by someone overseas.
Never, never, ever google the number for a company that you want to contact.
ALWAYS go to that company's website and spend however much time is necessary to get the phone number directly from their web site and from nowhere else.
I can't stress this enough!
So, the scam is that scammers will rank high on search results for queries for 'phone numbers' of said companies.
Inevitability, my client will connect with the scammer because they got the wrong number from Google. This scammer will convince them, over a phone call, to install remote software on the client's computer. Then the scammer will lock the user out of their computer, then they will proceed to attempt to break into the client's financial info to steal money from the client's accounts. Usually, the client will recognize the scam as it occurs and shut off the computer, defeating the attack, but then their computer is compromised. Which is usually where I come in to fix the problem. and set things correct.
This post goes against my financial interests, but I just can't let people Google for phone numbers without calling attention to the problem.
Don't do this. Don't google for a companies' phone number! Instead, go to their website and search for the number on their site. Period.