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  • Geebo 2:00 pm on January 17, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , customer service, , ,   

    Phantom Hacker Scam: Protect Your Money 

    Phantom Hacker Scam: Protect Your Money

    By Greg Collier

    A distressing financial scam, known as ‘the phantom hacker’, is devastating lives and leaving consumers in financial ruin. The scheme, which has been gaining traction, involves scammers impersonating bank representatives and convincing victims to move their money to supposedly secure accounts. In reality, these accounts are controlled by the scammers, resulting in the loss of substantial sums.

    One heartbreaking story involves a hair stylist and mother of two who lost $20,000, money she had painstakingly saved to open her own business. It all began with a seemingly legitimate phone call claiming to be from her bank. The scammer, using sophisticated tactics, not only mimicked the bank’s official phone number but also created a sense of urgency, warning her of a supposed hacking attempt on her account. The victim was instructed to transfer her funds to a different account for protection. A move that ultimately handed her hard-earned savings directly to the scammer.

    This deceptive practice, as with most scams, preys on fear and trust. Victims are often too rattled by the immediate threat of losing their money to critically assess the situation. By the time doubts arise, the damage is already done. Financial institutions emphasize that they will never request clients to move funds in this manner, nor will they demand immediate action through wire transfers or other unusual methods.

    The FBI has highlighted the growing sophistication of such scams. Scammers can now spoof caller ID to make it appear as though they are calling from legitimate financial institutions. This adds a layer of credibility that makes it difficult for victims to recognize the deception. The agency urges the public to remain skeptical, especially when receiving unsolicited calls regarding financial matters.

    For the victims, the aftermath of such scams is devastating. Losing significant amounts of money not only disrupts financial stability but also derails life plans and dreams. Often, the funds are nearly impossible to recover, as scammers are adept at quickly moving the stolen money beyond reach.

    The emotional and psychological tolls are equally profound. Victims often grapple with feelings of shame and disbelief, wondering how they fell for the scheme. Yet, the FBI stresses the importance of reporting such incidents, no matter how embarrassing it may feel. Reporting helps authorities track these scams and work towards holding the perpetrators accountable.

    As these scams continue to evolve, public awareness remains the best defense. Verifying any suspicious communication directly with financial institutions and hesitating to act on high-pressure demands can prevent potential losses. For those impacted, reporting incidents through official channels such as the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center is a critical step in combating this growing threat.

    The phantom hacker scam serves as a grim reminder of the importance of safeguarding personal finances. As criminals become increasingly sophisticated, staying informed and cautious is essential to protecting what matters most.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on June 20, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , customer service, duplicate purchase, , ,   

    Victim falls to duplicate purchase scam 

    Victim falls to duplicate purchase scam

    By Greg Collier

    In a world increasingly dependent on digital communication, tech support scams have become alarmingly sophisticated. This was the unfortunate reality for an Orlando resident, who recently fell victim to such a scam, losing $2500 in the process. Despite the scammers not getting away with any money, the ordeal continues as he struggles to get a refund from the merchant.

    The victim was simply trying to share photos between his phone and computer when he encountered a pop-up warning about a problem with his Microsoft account. The pop-up directed him to an online chat for assistance, where things quickly took a sinister turn.

    He initially believed the support was legitimate. The online chat session led him to a supposed Microsoft specialist who called him and convinced him to allow remote access to his computer. What seemed like a routine tech support call soon escalated into a high-stress scam scenario.

    The scammer, posing as a tech support specialist, claimed that the victim’s computer and phone had been compromised, and there was likely an issue with his bank account. He was then connected with another scammer pretending to be a bank manager, who falsely claimed that $7000 had been stolen from his account through the purchase of gift cards.

    The fake bank manager suggested a dubious solution: to make a duplicate purchase of the gift cards, which would allegedly trigger an account alert and allow him to cancel both transactions. Despite feeling uncomfortable, the victim was desperate to secure his funds. He purchased ten $250 gift cards from a local store, totaling $2500.

    When the scammers asked the victim to read the numbers on the back of the gift cards, he finally realized something was amiss. Fortunately, he hadn’t scratched off the PINs or given the scammers any card numbers.

    However, the situation worsened when he sought a refund from the merchant. The company froze the cards, which he initially thought was part of the refund process. Despite this, he has been unable to get his money back or even use the cards, which remain frozen.

    If you ever receive unexpected contact from someone claiming to be from tech support or a financial institution, the best course of action is to end the call and directly contact the company using verified contact information. It’s also important to note that financial banks will never request a withdrawal of funds in such situations.

    It’s crucial to remember that legitimate banks will never ask you to make duplicate purchases or buy gift cards to resolve issues with your account. Such requests are clear red flags of a scam. Always verify any unusual instructions directly with your bank through official contact methods to protect yourself from fraud.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on March 11, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service,   

    Bank app scam targets Chime users 

    Bank app scam targets Chime users

    By Greg Collier

    When we typically discuss payment app scams, we talk about one of the two biggest platforms, either Venmo or Zelle. However, there’s one app that doesn’t often come up in that conversation, but requires are attention, nonetheless, and that’s Chime.

    Chime is an online banking platform that offers a variety of financial services, including checking and savings accounts, as well as debit cards. It positions itself as a mobile-first bank, meaning that most of its services are accessible through its mobile app rather than through traditional brick-and-mortar branches.

    Chime has become popular in areas that are underserved by most banks. This is because Chime has such features as early direct deposit, and lacks many common fees associated with traditional banks, such as overdraft fees and monthly maintenance fees.

    Although Chime doesn’t seem to be as prone to scams as some other platforms, it’s important to note that it’s not entirely immune to them.

    A Chime user from Indiana recently fell victim to a scam, losing over $1300 in the process. The scam unfolded similarly to a familiar scheme. The user received a text alert claiming that someone had made a purchase on Amazon using her account. If the user had responded to the text, she might have been directed to transfer her money to a purportedly ‘secure’ account, falling prey to a scam akin to the Zelle scam.

    Despite avoiding one scam, the customer unwittingly became a victim of another. Seeking to dispute the alleged fraudulent charge, she searched the web for Chime’s customer service number. Unfortunately, she stumbled upon a number claiming to be Chime’s official customer service department. However, it turned out to be a scam call center impersonating Chime.

    The customer was informed that someone was attempting to withdraw $1200 from her account. To prevent this, she was instructed to download an app onto her phone, purportedly to thwart the scammers. However, the app granted the scammers remote access to her device. With this access, they were able to breach her Chime account and transfer $1340 out of it. Fortunately, Chime intervened and successfully refunded the customer’s money.

    No matter if it’s a traditional bank or not, if you receive a call or text urging you to transfer your money to another account for protection, it’s likely a scam. If you encounter such a call, hang up immediately and reach out to your bank using the customer service number listed on their official website or your debit card.

     

  • Geebo 2:00 pm on January 11, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , customer service, , ,   

    Bank refused to stop fraudulent wire transfer 

    Bank refused to stop fraudulent wire transfer

    By Greg Collier

    A man from Utah fell victim to two different scams, which resulted in scammers taking $10,000 from his bank account.

    The first scam that targeted him was the brushing scam. He was receiving several deliveries from Amazon that he didn’t order. Third-party Amazon vendors do this to game the review system, so phony reviews can have the ‘verified purchase’ tag added to them. This scam can be relatively harmless to consumers unless their Amazon account has been compromised, which this man wanted to find out.

    The second scam he fell into was a customer service impersonation scam. He Googled the number for Amazon’s customer service department, which wasn’t Amazon at all. Instead, it was a scammer’s call center posing as Amazon. Scammers will often pay search engines to have their scam phone number placed higher than the actual company they’re imitating. The phony Amazon rep told the man that it appeared someone had wired $10,000 to New York without his permission. Amazon, and other retailers, cannot access your bank records, if you think you’re speaking with Amazon, and they ask for your banking details, the odds are you’re being scammed.

    When the phony rep asked for the man’s credit card information, he realized he was being scammed. He went to his local Wells Fargo branch, since that was who he banked with. The branch manager told him there was, in fact, a wire transfer going out to New York for $10,000. When the man asked the manager to stop the transfer, he was instead referred to Wells Fargo’s fraud department, who told him that would investigate the matter and get back to him in ten days. It only took one day for the $10,000 to disappear from the man’s account. When the fraud department finished their investigation, they denied the man’s claim, saying that someone using the man’s username and password made the transfer, which made the man responsible for the financial loss.

    Mysteriously, once the man contacted his local TV news station about the matter, Wells Fargo reimbursed his money. As we have detailed in previous stories like this one. That seems to be the only way bank scam victims can get a refund, and even then, it’s not a guarantee.

    To safeguard yourself, it’s advisable to visit the official website of a company to obtain accurate contact information for addressing any issues you may encounter. Relying on contact details obtained through online searches can be unreliable. Additionally, refrain from sharing passwords or passcodes with anyone, and avoid granting remote access to your laptop or phone unless you initiate the call using the authentic contact number. Financial institutions typically request passwords or passcodes exclusively through their official app or website.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on August 7, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , customer service, , ,   

    Scammers easily avoid Zelle warning 

    Scammers easily avoid Zelle warning

    By Greg Collier

    In the news article we read about the latest chapter in the Zelle scam, it says that the Zelle scam is back. To be honest, it never went away. For almost two years, we’ve been documenting how the personal payment app has been used by scammers to defraud victims out of their money. As far as we know, there has been no break in this scam’s activity.

    For the uninitiated, the Zelle scam works like this. The victim receives a text message inquiring whether they have recently made a substantial purchase or transfer. The victim is instructed to reply with a simple yes or no. After the response, scammers follow up with a phone call, pretending to represent the victim’s bank’s fraud department. The fraudsters then urge the victim to safeguard their bank account by either transferring their funds or using Zelle to “pay themselves.” However, what actually happens is that the scammers are guiding the victim through the process of transferring funds to the scammers’ account through Zelle.

    Since these scams have started, it doesn’t appear as Zelle has done much in the way of consumer protection. If you do make a money transfer using Zelle, a warning does appear, which advises users not to send money to anyone they don’t know personally. Yet, the scam persists. So, what clever trick have the scammers devised to circumvent this warning? Is it nefarious malware that suppresses the warning? Not exactly. The scammers are simply telling their victims to ignore the warning. That’s it.

    Now, keep in mind the scammers are posing as the victim’s bank, who are supposed to have the final authority on a customer’s account. I’m sure we’ve all had to follow instructions at one point where we told to just ignore something. To us, this exhibits the poor protection Zelle has for its users, rather than any fault of the victim.

    It’s important to note that Zelle is intended for use strictly among friends and family, those you have a personal relationship with. Be cautious of any unfamiliar business or individual requesting payment through Zelle, as this could be a potential scam attempt. Remember, your bank will never ask you to move your funds using Zelle.

    If you find yourself falling victim to this scam, your initial step should be to promptly file a police report. While it doesn’t guarantee a refund, taking this action can significantly aid your situation. Moreover, if you believe your bank is not treating you fairly, don’t hesitate to reach out to a consumer advocate reporter in your local area for assistance. Their involvement can provide you with the support you need.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on July 31, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service, , ,   

    Do banks only help scam victims when the news gets involved? 

    Do banks only help scam victims when the news gets involved?

    By Greg Collier

    When we started posting about Zelle scams is when we first discovered how unhelpful banks can be when it comes to those who fell victim to these scams. Scammers will walk the victim through the Zelle app to have them transfer money to the scammers under false pretenses. Since the victim made the actual transaction, many banks will tell the victim they can’t get their money back. To the bank, or so they claim, the transaction looks authentic to them, so they can’t issue a refund to the victim.

    However, occasionally, victims will have their money returned to them after they tell their story to their local media. This typically involves the victim going to their local TV news consumer reporter. In turn, the reporter asks the bank for comment, which more often than not results in the bank issuing a refund.

    For example, a Massachusetts woman recently fell for a scam which resulted in her bank account being emptied by scammers. She received a call from scammers who were posing as PayPal to tell her there was in issue with her account. The scammers sent her a link to click on, and when she did, scammers took control of her phone. Before she knew it, $3500 was gone from her bank account.

    Her bank allegedly denied her claim until her local news station got involved. The bank reportedly claimed they reversed their decision after their decision after the victim provided additional information.

    But are these bank refunds a result of the plane crash principle? The principle says that we only hear about the planes that crash, but we don’t hear about the vast majority of planes that continually land safely.

    Are banks issuing refunds to scam victims without the media getting involved? We’d like to think they are, but somehow, we doubt it. As someone once told us, banks are in the business of making money, not issuing refunds. Not to mention, if banks started issuing refunds on demand to scam victims, it won’t be long before scammers start claiming they’ve been the victims of scams.

    The banks need to implement better initiatives to protect their customers from scammers. Education has not been enough, as scammers often intimidate their victims into ignoring the education. If just one major bank came forward with a new program to protect their customers from scammers, we’re sure it would not only be great PR for them, but they would probably attract many new customers.

    However, it will most likely be a long time before that happens. In the meantime, we need to look out for ourselves. If you receive a phone call from any company related to money, like PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, or even your own bank, hang up, and call them back at the company’s official customer service number. You can find these numbers, if the company has one, on their website under the contact section.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on July 21, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , customer service, , , ,   

    Scammers hope you miss your flight 

    Scammers hope you miss your flight

    By Greg Collier

    If you’ve ever had to travel by air, then you’re probably familiar with flight delays and cancellations. Unfortunately, they’re an inevitable part of flying. Or maybe you got stuck in traffic and missed your flight. When this happens, what’s the first thing you do. For some, it’s to get on the phone with their airline to see if they can reschedule a new flight to get to their destination. But very few people have the customer service number memorized or saved to their phone. So, they’ll Google the airline’s number, and the next thing they know, they’ve paid five times the original ticket price and are still stuck at the airport without an updated flight.

    So, how does something like this happen? A couple of ways, actually. Typically, scammers will buy sponsored listings on search engines to have their fake phone number promoted over the official number. Or they pose as the airline and tell the search engine company that their phony number is the new customer service number.

    When a weary and frustrated traveler calls a scam call center, a scammer, posing as a customer service agent, will tell the traveler they can book them a new flight with no problem. Except, the new ticket costs multiple times more than the original ticket price. Then the scammers will either ask for your payment information, or they’ll ask for an unusual payment method like gift cards or cryptocurrency. As you can probably imagine, they’re not booking anyone a new flight, either.

    If you find yourself in this situation, don’t rely on search engines for phone numbers. Instead, go to the airline’s website and find their customer service number there. If you do call an unauthorized customer service number and the customer service rep doesn’t mention the airline’s name when answering your call, that could be a good indicator you’re talking to a scammer. Lastly, when flying, use a credit card whenever possible. Credit cards offer much more protection than a debit card.

     

  • Geebo 1:01 pm on June 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: customer service, , ,   

    Don’t pay for a rental car with Zelle 

    Don't pay for a rental car with Zelle

    By Greg Collier

    With many people planning vacations for the warmer weather, there are a number of scams to look out for. We recently highlighted some of them here. Another scam vacationers may want to be aware of involves rental cars.

    When looking to rent a vehicle, make sure you’re speaking to an actual rental car agency. If you do a web search for a phone number to a rental car agency, you may not be given the results you’re actually looking for. Scammers can and have paid web search companies to have their listings show higher than the actual rental agencies in some search results.

    The listing and possibly the website itself will appear like it belongs to one of the brand name agencies like Budget or Enterprise to name a few. However, when you call the number in the listing, you’ll actually be directed to a scam call center.

    This recently happened to an elderly woman from Texas. Her son came to visit, and she decided to rent a car. She thought she was talking to Budget, but was actually talking to scammers. They gave her a great price, but then the scammers asked for a $400 security deposit to be paid through Zelle. Unfortunately, the victim sent the $400 to the scammers and no car was ever delivered.

    To steer clear of this scam while renting a car, it is advisable to utilize the customer service hotline provided on the rental agency’s official website. Nearly all agencies offer a location finder tool on their website, which guides you to the closest branch in your area and provides their respective contact number.

    And when paying for your rental, legitimate agencies will never ask for payment through apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. Neither will they ask for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency. If they do, they’re trying to scam you.

     

  • Geebo 1:00 pm on June 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service, , , ,   

    No change in Zelle scam with scammers or banks 

    No change in Zelle scam with scammers or banks

    By Greg Collier

    In a few months, it will be two years since we first started posting stories about the Zelle scam. Since it’s been a while since we’ve posted about it last, let’s have a quick refresher.

    Zelle is a personal payment app whose parent company is co-owned by several of the nation’s biggest banks. Some of these banks include, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and US Bank, just to name a few. Often, these big banks will have the Zelle service baked in to that bank’s phone app. Many customers of these banks don’t even realize they have Zelle on their devices.

    Zelle is designed to be used between friends and family, much like Venmo and Cash App. However, also like Venmo and Cash App, Zelle also has its fair share of scammers.

    Another problem with the Zelle scam is the banks that use Zelle are very hesitant to offer refunds to the victims of scams. The banks state since the customer authorized the transaction, even under false pretenses, the transaction is considered legitimate. Some banks have only offered refunds after the victim has taken their story to their local media.

    Here is an example of how the scam works. Recently, a man from North Carolina received a text message asking him if he made a $7500 Zelle transfer to a person he didn’t know. The text appeared to come from his bank, Bank of America. The text message said to reply yes or no to the text message. The man sent a text reply of ‘no’, but it wouldn’t have mattered how he replied, since he was actually texting with scammers.

    After he sent his reply, he received a phone call that looked like it was coming from B of A, complete with the caller ID showing the B of A customer service number. The number was spoofed by the scammers, which is an easy thing for them to do. The scammers were posing as customer service agents from B of A. They gave the man instructions on how to protect his money from the fraudulent transaction, but what they were really doing was walking him through the steps to send money to the scammers. In his case, it was $1500. The man claims when he inquired with B of A, they allegedly told him it was his responsibility.

    Anytime you receive a notification that looks like it came from your bank asking you about a transaction or telling you your account is at risk, do not reply. Instead, call your bank’s customer service department directly to verify if there is an actual problem with your account.

    If you’ve fallen victim to this scam, contact police immediately. While it’s not a guarantee of getting your money back, it does go a long way in helping. Lastly, if your bank is refusing a refund, think about going to your local media with your story, as we have seen some successes after victims have done that.

     

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