The FBI warns that banking spoof calls trick customers into transferring money
See what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Officials are warning customers about banking spoof calls that trick them into withdrawing their accounts, fraudsters posing as banks or law enforcement who claim to be trying to protect a customer’s money.
The FBI described these calls as a growing problem where customers are convinced to transfer their money, worth thousands of dollars, according to ABC 7.
The agency said fraud and phishing schemes are designed to trick victims into providing sensitive information, such as passwords or bank PINs. Suspected Internet scams can be reported through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Chase customer Jennifer Lichthardt described how she lost $40,000 after receiving a spoof call.
JPMORGAN CHASE LAUNCHES AMERICAN DREAM PROGRAM TO EXTEND SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESSES ABOUT US
Officials are warning customers about bank spoof calls that could trick them into withdrawing their accounts. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“The first call I got, it was the number on the back of my Chase debit card, and it said Chase’s fraud unit,” Lichthardt told ABC 7.
Scammers calling using his bank number said Chase employees were accessing the accounts. They say they represent Chase and even the FBI.
“They read me my account number. My account balance came up,” Lichthardt said. “They had fake FBI agents who gave me the agent’s number.”
Lichthardt was eventually convinced to move about $40,000 from her Chase account into a new so-called “secured” Chase account at her local branch and transfer thousands more to another online bank. The money he sent later disappeared.
He reported what happened after realizing that he had been scammed the next morning.
Lichthardt described feeling “financially broken” after the incident.
Chase said “his money was withdrawn from the scammer’s account the same day” the money was deposited.
“We urge all consumers to ignore phone, text, or online requests to transfer money or access their computer or bank accounts. Legitimate banks and companies will not make these requests, but scammers will,” Chase said in a statement sent to ABC 7.
Chase urged consumers to “ignore phone, text, or online requests to transfer money or access their computers or bank accounts.” (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Federal Trade Commission also has a specific warning for consumers, saying it’s a scam if someone tells consumers to move their money to “protect it.”
“Never send or send money, cryptocurrency, or gold to a stranger in response to an unexpected phone call or message,” reads the FTC’s website.
Huntington Bank customer Susie Allgood also received a fraudulent call from someone claiming to be from Zelle.
“And in order to continue to receive, to continue to receive money to and from Zelle, I had to upgrade my Zelle account to a business account,” Allgood told ABC 7. “Because he said he was from Zelle and working with Huntington Bank. So, why wouldn’t I believe him? He still had my routing number.”
Allgood said she was sure she would send $5,000 using Zelle to the scammer’s account to keep her money “safe.”
“I think each case needs to be looked at individually because, did I send the money? Yes, I agreed. I will admit that. But I was also instructed by someone who had my last phone number at the bank, who had my phone number,” said Allgood.
Both women reported their experiences to local authorities and the FBI.
Asked if he believed he would get his money back, Lichthardt said, “I don’t know. I hope I will.”
TRUMP ADMIN’S EPIC FURY TAKES TARGET AT BANKS THAT HANDLE IRAN’S MONEY
The FBI described the calls as a growing problem. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Neither victim received a refund from their bank after being tricked into transferring money, according to ABC 7.
Banks usually cover certain types of unauthorized fraud, such as when someone steals your bank card details. A bank will never call a customer and ask that person to send money.
The FBI and other experts said criminals can find bank information on the dark web or through dumpster diving. When they get that data, they can also call the person’s bank’s automated system to update the customer’s account balance or transactions.
“When someone calls the FBI, the victim thinks they’re in trouble. They’re already distracted, and when they make these decisions, the criminal starts to rush them. When they’re in a rush, we make a lot of last-minute decisions,” Robert Richardson, special agent for the FBI Chicago Field Office, told ABC 7.
