BBB Says – Be Rude – Hang Up On Rachel

The Better Business Bureau of Acadiana warns that scammers posing as 'Rachel from Cardholder Services' are getting bolder and more clever. The 'Rachel' scam has been around for ages where someone calls claiming to be Rachel and she can help to lower your credit card rate. You can attempt to do the same for yourself by calling your credit card company and asking for a reduction. 'Rachel' can cost you $495 to $1,595 for the same free service.

The Federal Trade Commission reports getting nearly 150,000 complaint calls about 'Rachel'. In an attempt to stop 'Rachel' the FTC is reaching out to computer and phone hackers in a bold move. The FTC is hosting three separate contests at this summer's DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas. The contests are called 'Zapping Rachel' and offers a $50,000 prize for stopping 'Rachel'.

While waiting for a contest winner to solve the 'Rachel' scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

• Don't trust Caller ID, a familiar name and number can be faked by 'Rachel'.
• If you receive a voice message, do not call them back.
• If you answer and get the 'lower your credit card rate' pitch, do not press any buttons. This could cause you to get more calls in the future. Just hang up.
• Allow calls to go to voice mail that appear to be from your own number or a familiar one.
• Pick up only if you recognize the voice.