But the call didn’t go as planned. The Amazon customer service agent warned Steve his account was littered with fraudulent charges, and if he didn’t pay them, he could be accused of money laundering. Confused, but also concerned, Steve reluctantly transferred $34,000 via Bitcoin to an account he was directed to by the Amazon agent.

With that, Steve joined the growing ranks of Americans who have been scammed by phony customer service sites. The customer service number was a bogus one planted by crooks. And the “agent” was a criminal with a well-rehearsed plan to steal his money.

At the AARP Fraud Watch Network, customer service scams are “an everyday occurrence,” says Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support. Nofziger’s team has fielded calls from people who fell victim to scammers after Googling customer service for companies such as Geico, Spectrum and Wells Fargo, and clicking on illegitimate links.

Alan R., a New York resident, contacted the Fraud Watch Network after searching for Facebook customer support when his account was hacked. A phone call led to an impostor who charged a fee to supposedly solve the problem.

Customer service fraud is a type of impostor scam—the most commonly reported scam in the United States, the Federal Trade Commission reported early this year.

And customer service scams are growing: In February, Amazon reported a 33 percent increase since December in customer service impersonation scams on social media. In these cases, scammers monitor complaints and reply with fake info.

How do searches for customer service numbers lead people into the traps of crooks?

▶︎ Criminals create phony sites and then buy ads that force their sites to the top of routine Google or voice assistant searches.

▶︎ Some sophisticated scam rings are also manipulating algorithms to make their phony sites rise to the top of searches.

An ongoing investigation led by Michelle Couch-Friedman, founder of advocacy organization ConsumerRescue.org, found that scam rings often hack into government websites and create message boards that can be seen only from search results. A message board discussion about an airline, for example, might include articles recommending a fake call center. Those posts, and the fact that they’re hosted on seemingly legitimate forums, can then boost search engine results for the impostor site. Once those phony numbers are called, practiced criminals take over.

“When they started asking for money, something should have gone off in my head,” Alan says. “But it sounded just like customer service calls I’ve had before.” The callers at scam centers are often friendly, reassuring and believable.

After ConsumerRescue’s investigation, many of the message boards were removed. But the fix was temporary. “Lots of them are taken down,” Couch-Friedman says, but “more and more pop up.”

Here’s how experts say you can curtail scams linked to customer service calls: 

▶︎ Slow down. “When you’re looking up a customer service phone number, something has usually gone wrong,” says Nofziger. “And when something is wrong, you’re anxious, nervous and working quickly.” Her advice: Take a moment, catch your breath and calmly scrutinize search results, particularly URLs.

▶︎ Be especially careful when booking a trip. Travel is a common source of customer service fraud as passengers scramble to resolve missed connections and canceled flights. To protect yourself, log in to your airline account and contact customer service through the airline’s app, the Federal Trade Commission recommends.

▶︎ Avoid posting complaints about customer service on social media. When you gripe on sites like Quora or Reddit, you’re also signaling scammers. “They are all over those websites, acting like helpful members of the community,” Couch-Friedman warns. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, here’s the number you need.’ But it’s the number for their fake call center.”

▶︎ Ignore unsolicited messages about customer service sites. Don’t answer calls from unfamiliar numbers, don’t click on unsolicited links and don’t give anyone remote access to your computer. Even if a company’s name appears on your phone, don’t answer: Scammers can make their numbers look legit.

“If you get a pop-up, an email, a text message—anything saying that there’s a problem with your accounts—do not call that number,” Nofziger says. And if someone wants you to pay with cryptocurrency or gift cards, or directs you to a crypto ATM machine, “it’s 100 percent a scam,” Nofziger advises.