A scam victim thought her perpetrator was being helpful; three days later, he dropped thousands.
Don, from Dedham, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes from Boston, was robbed of his money after his ATM transactions went wrong.
two
He was using a Bank of America ATM in a CVS parking lot when he began having trouble with his transaction.
“I think it may have been my ATM card that was freezing,” he explained to the local ABC News affiliate. WCVB5.
It was then that the person who would later rob him offered help.
While the man “helped” Don, the fraudster exchanged the struggling customer’s debit card for a decoy.
Don, without giving it much thought and assuming that the transaction simply wouldn’t work, went about his day without thinking twice about the authenticity of his card.
That was until he realized he was missing $12,000 from his account.
After further investigation, the thief completed three different transactions at three different banks to claim your money by cashing checks from your bank account.
After the meeting, the man says he learned a valuable lesson.
“I think you need to be very, very vigilant,” Don said.
The thing is, it’s hard to be careful when you don’t know what to look for.
“Of course, I thought I was [careful]”, reflected Don.
IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
Don’s story, unfortunately, is not unique, as someone else fell victim to a similar scam in the area.
Megan Bates was using a Bank of America ATM in East Boston when her attacker attacked.
She said this happened when she was trying to withdraw money for lunch.
I fell for it. I don’t know why I fell for it
Megan Bates
After completing the transaction, a man approached, claiming that the transaction had not been completed.
Pretending to help her, as happened with Don, the man managed to steal her debit card and replace it with a fake one.
Just like Don’s thief, Bate’s scammer made transactions at three different Bank of Americas totaling $12,000.
“I fell for it. I don’t know why I fell for it,” Bates said.
Upon hearing of Bate’s debacle, Don was dismayed to learn that it was not a one-time crime.
“I never realized what was going on and I don’t think she did either,” Don said.
Bates has had all $12,000 restored to his account and Don is still waiting to find out if he will have the same reconciliation.
Robert Siciliano, an identity theft and cyber security expert states that this scheme is probably part of an organized crime group.
“There is no doubt, this is part of an organized crime ring,” Siciliano said.
He expressed that the checks cashed on the victims’ accounts were stolen and “could be from anyone.”
Bank of America has not yet responded to US Sun’s request for media comment.
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
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