Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Scammers have found a way to trigger push notifications through the official My Verizon app.
- Attackers use the promise of a massive discount and a “free” device to lower your guard and gain account access.
- The victim received a $1,500 iPad Pro (13-inch, 256GB) and was charged a small shipping fee to build trust.
- Scammers followed up, claiming a “wrong device” was sent and pressured the victim to return it to a random address, not Verizon.
If you get a notification from the official Verizon app offering a “loyalty gift,” it’s natural to trust it. But a new scam is using Verizon’s own system to target customers, and it nearly cost one user a $1,500 iPad Pro and a compromised identity.
A Redditor (ApprehensivePace2969) recently experienced a scam that was so convincing it should concern Verizon’s security team. The scammers managed to send push notifications through the official My Verizon app, which millions use to pay bills and check their data.
Here’s how the scam (nearly) worked. The victim received a call on a Friday from someone pretending to be a Verizon rep, who said the victim qualified for a 65% discount and an iPad. Any doubts were erased because the app’s notifications seemed to confirm the offer.
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The victim agreed, and soon a new 256GB iPad Pro (M4), worth $1,500, arrived overnight. The victim was charged $126 for shipping, but was told not to worry because they’d get a refund after they activated.
Then the victim started getting more calls. Another person claiming to be a Verizon rep said they got the wrong device. That was supposedly meant for an iPad 11. The victim was told to return the Pro immediately, or they’d be billed the full $1,500.
But the shipping label wasn’t from Verizon’s returns center. It was addressed to a “Jordan Belfort” at a random New York address, likely as a joke or a signature move. The scammers also insisted the package be dropped off at a specific UPS store near the victim’s home, suggesting they already knew the victim’s address.
Still, the victim didn’t fall for the scam. They brought the iPad Pro to a Verizon store, contacted the real fraud department, returned the device, and got the shipping charge refunded.
Android Authority has contacted Verizon for a statement and will update this article once the company replies. What sets this apart is that the scam almost succeeded and used the official Verizon app, making it much more serious than a typical phone scam.
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