A Colorado Springs consumer called the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado to report that she was prompted to call an 800 telephone number listed on her MasterCard bill from a company called Dream Smile.

The problem is two-fold. First, the consumer never purchased anything from the company. Secondly, when she called the 800 telephone number to dispute the charge, a voice mail message asked for her MasterCard number.

This appears to be yet another way scam artists and identity thieves are attempting to get consumers’ personal information. To date, the BBB of SC has not heard of this particular tactic to gain information.

It’s important for consumers to remember that they should never give out personal information such as bank account numbers, their Social Security number or credit card numbers unless they are absolutely sure how this information will be used. As a general rule, unless the consumer initiates the transaction, he or she should not provide personal information.

We encourage consumers to call the BBB of SC at 719-636-1155 before doing business with a company and to check the company’s reliability report on our Web site at www.BBBSC.org.