This scam is convincing, but we can help
How many times per day do you send an “unknown number” to voicemail? Five? Ten? If your inboxes aren’t full of messages from scammers, consider yourself lucky—and warned—because once scammers have your phone number, it’s hard to shake them.
Americans now receive an average of 14 scam messages every single day, according to a January 2026 State of the Scamiverse report by online protection company McAfee. And with AI-generated content now everywhere, it can feel like a second job just trying to figure out what’s fake and what’s real. In fact, McAfee says people spend a staggering 114 hours every year doing just that.
One way to protect yourself is to know what to look out (and listen) for when scammers target you—and they definitely will. It’s also critical to stay current on the latest scams. Well, there’s a new scam making the rounds that takes aim at people who’ve recently ordered a new phone. We talked to Sandra Glading, an online safety expert at McAfee, to get the latest news on this new and unsettling grift.
Grab your phone and read on to learn more about how this phone scam works, how to avoid it and what to do if you get scammed.
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How does this phone scam work?
Here’s what happens in this phone scam: After you’ve ordered a new phone, scammers pretending to be from your carrier will call or text. They’ll tell you there’s a problem with your recent order, and they’ll even have precise details about you, like your name, address and device model. But it’s all part of the con.
“This scam works because it sounds legitimate and makes you feel like you need to act right away,” Glading says. “And when we feel rushed, we’re less likely to stop and double-check.”
The scammers will claim there’s been a shipping error or an inventory issue, and they’ll insist you return the device immediately to receive the “correct” one. To create a sense of urgency, the bad actors may say that any delay in returning the device could result in a penalty, such as having your device locked or your warranty being invalidated.
The scammer may even apologize for the inconvenience! Then they’ll offer to email you a prepaid return label or give you instructions to scan a QR code so that you can print a label and take the phone to a shipping drop-off point. Of course, once you send your phone to the scammer, it will disappear into the resale market and you’ll have no phone—though you’ll still be on the hook for the bills and potentially more scams.
How do scammers know you’ve recently bought a phone?
It’s unlikely scammers know for certain that you’ve recently bought a phone, just like they don’t know if your car’s extended warranty is about to expire or that you have student loans to pay off.
“What they’re doing is working with bits of personal information that may already be circulating online—things like your name, phone number or address from an old data breach or marketing list,” Glading says. “Then they combine that with timing.” Many people upgrade their phones during holiday sales or promotional periods, Glading says, so it’s really just a matter of calling enough people to find someone who recently updated theirs.
“If someone reaches out around one of those moments and already has a few details about you, it can feel convincing,” she says.
What are the red flags of this scam?
Most scams are a variation on the social engineering scam, which is just a fancy name for a con artist pretending to be someone they’re not, and this new phone scam is no exception. Here are the red flags of this scam:
- The caller pressures you to act immediately.
- They ask you to use a return label they provide (and that you didn’t request).
- They discourage you from contacting your carrier directly.
- The phone number looks legitimate—but you didn’t initiate the call.
- The email domain doesn’t exactly match your carrier’s.
- They ask for your account PIN, password or verification codes.
- They ask you to scan a QR code.
What should you do if you receive one of these scam calls?
If you receive one of the scam calls, it’s important that you know what to do and what not do. Glading says that slowing down is the most important step. “Scammers rely on you reacting quickly. If you hang up and call your carrier using the official number on their website or your billing statement, you immediately take back control of the situation.”
In addition, Glading says you shouldn’t click on any links, QR codes or labels they send. “Go directly to the source,” she says. “Taking a moment to verify can save you from losing a very expensive device.”
What should you do if you’ve been scammed?
Unfortunately, phones are easy to resell. “Phones can be wiped and moved into resale markets very quickly,” Glading says. “That makes getting the device back unlikely.”
Even though you’re probably not getting your phone back, there are still a number of steps you should take to prevent the bad actor from doing additional damage.
- Contact your carrier immediately to report the fraud.
- Ask them to blacklist the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov.
- Monitor your mobile account and credit for suspicious activity.
- Enable two-factor authentication.
- Use strong, unique passwords, and never share login details.
- Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit.
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