AN ELDERLY woman was told her bank was out of luck after she was scammed out of $10,000 in an email scam.
Susan Harrison, 76, received an email about renewing her Norton antivirus subscription last year and tried calling the number listed to cancel her $250 plan — a common “phishing” tactic that tricks users into clicking on malicious links.
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The Central Florida resident – from DeBary, north of Orlando – said she was completely taken by surprise by what happened next.
“It was just a nightmare for two and a half hours,” Harrison told the local CBS affiliate. WKMG.
She was linked to “a fast-talking man with an accent” who claimed he could help her cancel her antivirus software.
But it had already “automatically renewed for the next year,” he told her.
Read more about banking scams
So the fraudster said he needed to refund the money in a few separate transactions, which required her to submit an online application and for him to remotely access her computer.
“Fifteen or 20 minutes later he was on my screen. I said, ‘Why are you on my computer?’ He said, ‘Oh, because I have to delete the app,’ she said.
Instead of returning the money, however, the scammer quickly hacked into their Wells Fargo bank accounts.
He told her to enter a refund amount of $100 on the form, but became irate when he claimed she accidentally entered an amount of $10,000.
“He started yelling it’s $10,000, why did you take $10,000, now I’m going to lose my job,” she told local reporters.
The scammer told her to check her bank to see if the accidental $10,000 had been deposited — and she was surprised to see he was right.
He then told her that to correct the error, she would need to withdraw the $10,000 in cash and return it via a cryptocurrency transfer.
Harrison said he convinced her not to tell bank officials what was happening because then they might send the IRS to investigate her account.
BANK REVERSES INITIAL REFUND
It took hours for her to realize that she had been tricked.
“It was only later that I looked at my credit card and [saw that] the bank charged me $500 for a cash advance,” she explained.
“And I said, that’s what he did! He took the $10,000 off my credit card and transferred it to my debit account,” she told WKMG, shaking her head.
She reported the scam to Wells Fargo immediately after realizing what happened, 24 hours after the funds left her account.
Wells Fargo’s fraud department initially decided to refund her the money, including charging her the $500 cash advance, she said.
But she said they soon reversed the decision when they couldn’t find enough electronic evidence to support their claim.
DON’T WAIT TO REPORT FRAUD
Experts say people should contact the U.S. Secret Service, along with their bank and local police, if they believe they have been a victim of fraud.
“No, the money is gone,” Special Agent Caroline O’Brien-Buster of the U.S. Secret Service told WKMG in response to questions about whether there was hope that Harrison could recover his funds.
Bank tips to avoid scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important that you know how to identify them:
- Be skeptical of online businesses that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers often use tactics to make you panic so that you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are asked to take immediate action and check who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you’ve only spoken to online or on the phone, as this is likely a romantic scam.
- Unless you know 100% who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at ATMs and always be careful when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click on links that indicate you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
She recommended that victims not waste time in contacting authorities for help – it may be the only way to get their money back.
“This needs to be done today, this needs to be done in the next two hours, that’s how they fall for it,” O’Brien-Buster said.
The email that scammed Harrison had some red flags, she added, such as a sender with an iCloud email address.
To stay safe, bank customers should avoid clicking on links that appear suspicious.
Due to the widespread nature of this problem, Norton has created a verification website where customers can check whether a message is legitimate before opening it.
If you receive a call or text message that you are unsure about, you can hang up and call back your bank or account holder’s publicly listed phone number to make sure you are speaking to a legitimate representative.
Also, don’t forget to install a malware program to actively keep your devices safe.
Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The US Sun.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
