Retailers are facing an alarming surge in phone‑based scams, fueled by increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics and the expanding reach of organized retail crime. Recent industry data shows that 70 percent of retailers experienced rising phone scams in the past year, marking one of the sharpest increases across all fraud categories. This session examines how criminals are exploiting phone‑based impersonation, AI‑generated voice technology, and caller ID spoofing to deceive both customers and frontline retail employees. Panelists will also explore how phone scams act as gateways to broader fraud, including account takeovers, fraudulent returns, BOPIS exploitation, and coordinated ORC activity targeting store teams. Attendees will leave with actionable insights into how retailers can strengthen defenses through cross‑functional fraud and AP collaboration, improved call verification processes, employee training, and emerging AI‑based authentication technologies.