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  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service, , ,   

    Bank tells scam victims they gave ‘consent’ to scammers 

    Bank tells scam victims they gave 'consent' to scammers

    By Greg Collier

    Bank customers are being scammed on an almost daily basis. At least the ones who report the scam anyway, It’s more likely that the majority of recent bank scams aren’t reported to the police or media out of embarrassment. It seems that reports of banks not helping their customers who have been scammed has emboldened the bank scammers to fins more victims since they know the bank won’t do anything about it.

    For example, CBS 2 out of Chicago has done a follow-up story on five local bank customers who lost a total of $100,000 to bank impersonation scams.

    Scammers often follow a typical approach where they contact their targets through calls or messages, asking about their recent transactions. They then use coercive tactics to convince victims that transferring their funds to a different account is the only way to protect their bank accounts. Unfortunately, the account to which the money is transferred is usually controlled by the scammer. These accounts are usually regular checking accounts available through major banks and not offshore accounts.

    Out of the five Chicago victims who CBS 2 spoke with, all five were customers of Chase Bank, and only one of them has been reimbursed. The rest of the victims were told by the bank that since they gave personal information to the scammers, the bank considers that the consent of the customer.

    It also doesn’t help that the legislation designed to protect bank customers doesn’t protect victims from wire fraud. If someone uses the victim’s credit or debit card to commit fraud, customers can be reimbursed for that, but victims of wire fraud are out of luck due to a gap in the regulations. We might also add that these regulations were written in the 1970s. Electronic banking has changed a lot in the past 50 years, but the regulators haven’t kept up with the times. We knew that lawmakers are slow when it comes to updating the law to reflect current technology, but we didn’t realizer they were this slow.

    Some consumer advocates recommend that the banks should require some kind of digital ID before a wire transfer could be made. Others suggest the banks should institute a 24-48 hour delay for wire transfers. While these may sound like good ideas, practical application of them could be a headache for customers.

    What these banks really need to do is to prevent scammers from opening the accounts where the victims’ funds are being wired to. They could even institute a delay when an account tries to close out suddenly.

    At least for now, it’s up to the consumer to protect themselves from these scams.

    In case you receive a text message that appears to be from your bank inquiring about fraudulent activity, avoid using the callback feature provided in the message. Similarly, if someone calls you claiming to be from your bank and asks about fraudulent transactions, it’s best to end the call and directly contact your bank through the phone number provided on the back of your debit card.

    If you’ve been the victim of this scam, don’t hesitate to file a police report. While it’s not a guarantee of getting your money back, it does go a long way in helping.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service, , ,   

    Bank to scam victim: “This is on you. We’re out.” 

    By Greg Collier

    Just the other day, we posted a story about how banks are reluctant to reimburse scam victims. This was after stories we posted about how one bank accused a scam victim of being the scammer, and another where scam victims were suing their bank for failing to protect their accounts. The question we keep asking is why can’t the banks stop or reverse these transactions?

    The usual M.O. of scammers involves contacting their targets through calls or messages, inquiring about recent significant transactions. Subsequently, the scammers coerce the victims into believing that transferring their funds to a different account is the sole method of safeguarding their bank accounts. Invariably, the account that the money is relocated to is under the control of the scammer. The bank accounts utilized by scammers are typically not offshore accounts. Instead, they are often regular checking accounts that are available through major banks.

    In a recent bank impersonation scam, two of the nation’s major banks were used. A woman from Seattle got a text that appeared to come from Chase Bank. The text asked her if she had just made a $99 purchase in Florida. The woman called the number back where the text came from and thought she was talking to Chase, but was actually talking to a scammer. The scammer told that to protect her account, she would need to make two $15,000 wire transfers to a Wells Fargo account.

    After realizing she had been scammed, she immediately called Chase Bank and was transferred between eight different departments before someone could help her. By the time she got somebody on the line, the transactions to Wells Fargo had already gone through. Chase told her she would need to fill out paperwork before they could investigate, and that would take at least a week. Chase then allegedly passed the buck, no pun intended, to Wells Fargo. The victim was essentially told that it would depend on Wells Fargo on whether she would get her money back. When she asked Chase for some documentation, she was reportedly told, “We don’t provide that, and we’re out. This is on you.”

    Banks contact customers all the time if they believe a fraudulent purchase or transaction has been made. So, why weren’t either bank suspicious about two wire transfers that totaled $30,000? Why aren’t these transactions being put on hold when a customer claims they’ve been defrauded? And again, why are the banks allowing scammers to open and close bank accounts so quickly?

    If you get a text that looks like it came from your bank asking about a fraudulent transaction, don’t use the callback feature in the text. If someone calls you claiming to be from your bank about fraudulent activity, hang up. Then dial your bank directly at the phone number on the back of your debit card.

    The only way to try to prevent financial loss from these scams is to protect yourself, since it doesn’t appear the banks will go out of their way to help.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , customer service, , , , , , , , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Scammer dresses as cop and more 

    Scam Round Up: Scammer dresses as cop and more

    By Greg Collier

    This week on the round up, we’re bringing you three scams that may not be new, but have a new aspect to them.

    ***

    For our first scam, we have a Nebraska woman who lost $53,000 to a pop-up scam. She got a pop-up on her computer that said someone had used her personal information for online gambling. The pop-up also had a number to call. The woman called the number, and the person she spoke with claimed to be from her bank. She was told she needed to transfer her money to a separate bank account to protect her money. The new aspect of this scam is that she was told when the person who supposedly stole her information tried to take money from her account, they would be arrested. Instead, she transferred her money to scammers.

    Never call any phone number that appears on a computer pop-up. Those numbers only go to scammers, no matter what the pop-up might say.

    ***

    Our next scam shows how well-informed scammers can be. In Los Alamos, New Mexico, retirees of the historic Los Alamos National Lab, were recently told their prescription insurance would no longer be taken at Kroger pharmacies. This story doesn’t get any more local. However, it hasn’t escaped the purview of scammers. Residents have reported that they’ve received phone calls from people impersonating the prescription insurance company. These callers have been asking for personal information like Social Security numbers and dates of birth.

    Health insurance companies typically only call customers when the customer has called them first. Also, the health insurance companies typically don’t ask a customer for their Social Security number, as most insurance companies use their own internal ID numbers for their customers.

    If you get a call out of the blue from someone claiming to be from your insurance company, hang up and call them directly at the customer service number on your health insurance card.

    ***

    Lastly, we have a disturbing version of the arrest warrant scam, as if that weren’t disturbing enough. In the arrest warrant scam, scammers will pose as local police and call their victims. The scammers will tell their victims they’ve missed jury duty and a warrant has been issued for the victim’s arrest. The victim will then be instructed to make payment through gift cards or pre-paid debit cards. But this scam usually only takes place over the phone.

    In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this scam is said to have stepped into the real world. A man dressed as an officer from the local County Sheriff’s office approached a woman and told her she would need to buy $8,000 in gift cards to avoid arrest for missing jury duty.

    It’s unclear how the victim in this news story was approached, however, if you’re approached by someone you think may be impersonating an officer, there are steps you can take. If you’re approached at your vehicle or home, call 911 and ask them if you’re being contacted by an actual officer. Police dispatch will have a record of it if they are an actual officer.

    No police officer would ever stop someone and threaten them with arrest if they didn’t pay a fine then and there. Police would also never ask for payment in gift cards.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 26, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: customer service, , , ,   

    Scammers have a lie for every occasion 

    By Greg Collier

    As much as scammers are a plague on society, sometimes we’re almost in wonder of the ingenuity of some scams. We often imagine what would become of scammers if they plied their ingenuity and skill toward a legitimate purpose. Unfortunately, one of their skills is lying like a master politician. Scammers always have a response to any question their victims may have, and what makes it worse, is that they’re convincing.

    For example, an Arizona couple almost fell for a customer service scam. They received a call from someone claiming to be from Walmart. They were asked if they had made a recent purchase for $3,000. The caller was said to have such detailed information that they knew the couple’s address down to the apartment number.

    When the couple told the caller they didn’t make a purchase like that, the caller said they would transfer the couple to their bank’s fraud department. Instead, the next person who got on the line was someone claiming to be a Scottsdale police officer.

    The supposed police officer told the couple their bank was being investigated for fraud. They claimed that a bank employee gave out their financial information and their account was about to be frozen. The caller said for them to protect their account, they would need to take $3000 out of their bank and buy gift cards with the money. When the couple asked why they would need to buy gift cards, the caller didn’t hesitate with a response.

    “He said because, these people who contacted you know your home address and your apartment number, and you will be robbed.”

    Thankfully, when the couple were looking at gift cards, a store employee realized they were being scammed and hung up on the scammers for them.

    Like we’ve always said, anyone can fall victim to a scam because scammers are very good at what they do and act very convincing while doing it.

    The best way to protect yourself from scams like this is to have knowledge of the scam beforehand. In a scam like this, Walmart is never going to call a customer to ask them about a large purchase. If you do happen to talk to Walmart’s customer service, they do not have the ability to transfer your call to your bank or your local police department. If there was such a matter that required your bank’s or the police’s attention, any customer service rep would tell the customer to call those entities themselves.

    As far as the police go, they’ll never tell you to buy gift cards for any reason. Gift cards are used as currency by scammers because they can be easily converted into material goods and are virtually untraceable.

    Lastly, if the caller tells you that you can’t speak to anyone about the matter, they’re trying to prevent them from being found out and stopping the scam. No one can force you not to talk.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , customer service, , JPMorgan Chase,   

    Bank accuses customer of being scammer 

    By Greg Collier

    A man from Spokane, Washington had been running a one-man business making out of his home making skis and snowboards. However, his business recently took a financial hit after the man fell victim to what sounds suspiciously like a Zelle scam.

    He received a text message that appeared to come from his bank, JPMorgan Chase. The text message stated that someone was trying to withdraw a large amount from his bank account and asked if it was him. The man responded no to the text and received another text that said someone from Chase Bank will call you.

    The call appeared on the man’s caller ID as Chase Manhattan Bank. The man was told by the caller that he would need to fill out to keep his money in his account. The man was directed to open his Chase Bank app and was walked through several steps until a form popped up. The man agreed to the form, and before he knew it, scammers had transferred $29,000 out of his account to a couple of banks in Florida.

    We can’t say for sure that this was a Zelle scam, but most Zelle scams start out the same way, with scammers posing as the victim’s bank. Coincidentally, JPMorgan Chase is part owner of Zelle’s parent company Early Warning Services, along with several other major banks.

    And Chase is said to have reacted similarly to when a customer of any bank is scammed through Zelle. Actually, according to the victim, Chase went beyond just denying the man a refund. According to him, the bank accused him of being the actual scammer. His local branch manager allegedly accused the man of setting up the scam with the man’s buddies, so they could make a claim on the lost money.

    Victims of similar scams are usually told since they authorized the transfer of funds, even under false pretenses, they would not be eligible for a refund. But to be accused by your bank that you’re trying to scam them is just reprehensible. The man had no choice at this point to go to his local media to try to get some form of recompense. After such an accusation, one might think that legal proceedings will begin at some point against Chase.

    Even though you may have been using the same bank for however many years, they are not your friend. Their main goal is to be profitable, even if that means losing a loyal customer now and again. To put it bluntly, they’re looking after themselves.

    To best protect yourself from this scam is to not respond to any text messages that claim to be from your bank or any other financial institution. If you do receive one of these texts, call your bank directly at their customer service number from their website or the back of your debit or credit card.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 27, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , customer service, , ,   

    Amazon scammers have too much information about you 

    Amazon scammers have too much information about you

    By Greg Collier

    Since the holidays just ended, most of us aren’t really thinking about Amazon unless we have a return to make. However, we’re thinking about Amazon due to a disturbing scam using its name. To be clear, we’re not saying that Amazon is outright scamming its customers. Rather, there are scammers who pose as Amazon employees to try to instill fear into their victims.

    This typically starts out with a phone call, email, or text message to the victim stating that the victim just purchased an expensive item. When the victim says they didn’t buy it, this starts a chain of deception designed to confuse and intimidate the victim. Unfortunately, most Amazon scams end the same way, with the victim turning their money over to the scammers.

    For example, a North Carolina woman recently received a text message that appeared to come from Amazon. The text said that she had purchased a smart lock for over $600. The message also included a phone number to call if the order had not been placed by her.

    The victim called the number and was told by ‘Amazon’ that her identity had been stolen. What’s particularly disturbing about this scam was that the scammers told the victim that her children’s identities had been stolen as well, and even named the children by their full names. That can be unsettling for any parent. To be fair, the scammers could have just gotten the children’s names from social media, but it’s still alarming to hear your kids’ names spoken by a stranger.

    However, the phony Amazon rep said they could help protect the family’s identities. All it would take is the victim sending $2000 to the rep in gift cards and cryptocurrency. By the victim’s own words, she said she was unfamiliar with cryptocurrency and ended the call. In the end, no money was lost, thankfully.

    Amazon is kind of like the government in that they’re not going to reach out to you unless there is already an ongoing issue you contacted them about. Even if someone uses your account to make a fraudulent purchase, Amazon is not going to call or text you. You would just receive the typical email that Amazon sends when someone makes an order. And anytime a business asks you to send them gift cards or cryptocurrency, you’re more than likely dealing with a scammer, as these forms of payment are largely untraceable.

    If you receive a notification or phone call like this, check your Amazon account first to see if any fraudulent purchases have been made on your account. Then contact Amazon’s customer service through their website. Never use the phone numbers included in these messages, as they’re guaranteed to go to a scammer.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 22, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , customer service,   

    Never send cash through the mail for any reason 

    Never send cash through the mail for any reason

    By Greg Collier

    Many of us probably got a delivery from Amazon in the past week or so. These deliveries will no doubt bring joy to our loved ones for the holidays. One Florida woman was almost not so lucky, as scammers posing as Amazon tried to bamboozle her in a convoluted scam.

    First, she received a phone call from someone claiming to be from Amazon. They told her a $1500 item was being shipped out under her account. She probably told the fake Amazon rep that she didn’t order anything. She was then transferred to someone posing as an agent of the Federal Trade Commission, complete with badge number. That person transferred her to another person posing as her bank, in this case, Bank of America.

    The woman was then told by the phony bank rep that her identity has been compromised, but the only way to clear it up was to hire a lawyer or pay the bank $15,000. They told her if she didn’t comply, she would be arrested. If she told anyone what was happening, the scammers said they would be arrested too.

    She was told to mail boxes of cash, but after she made a second withdrawal, the scammers told her that they needed to her to buy stuff for them. Thankfully, she realized it was a scam at this point, and she did not lend up losing any money. But look how close she came.

    While the scammers in this case tipped their hand, there are some classic tenets of scams in this one. The first one if the call from Amazon. Amazon rarely ever calls their customers. If you’ve ever received a legitimate call from Amazon, that’s winning the lottery type odds. The second is threatening someone with arrest if they don’t comply with the scammers demands. Normally, this is done when scammers pose as police, but police don’t threaten arrest for payment over the phone and neither do banks. If a business were to threaten a customer with arrest, that would be a PR disaster for that business. They also tried to keep the victim from talking to anyone else. This is usually seen in grandparent scam when phony police say there’s a gag order against you. That’s not how gag orders work. They only apply to when a case is in the process of going to trial. They can’t just be ordered against random citizens.

    Mailing a box of cash is also an old way that scammers try to collect money from their victims. There is no legitimate reason to send large amounts of cash through the mail. No law enforcement agency or legitimate business will ask you to send them cash through the mail.

    Video: Jupiter woman nearly loses thousands in scam, but recognizes red flags

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 13, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Best Buy, customer service, , , ,   

    You probably don’t have a Geek Squad subscription 

    By Greg Collier

    Tech support scams have been a blight on both smartphone and computer users for years. As much as we hate to say it, this goes doubly so for elderly users of these devices. Currently, the most common tech support scam is the pop-up scam. This is when a computer user gets a pop-up on their display that tells them their computer has been infected with a virus, and they need to call the phone number on the pop-up to have it resolved. Typically, the phone number claims to go to Microsoft, but they can also claim to be from any large tech company. If someone were to call the number from the pop-up, they’d be talking to scammers who would swindle their victims of their savings.

    However, there is a tech support scam that is a close second to the pop-up scam in the frequency with which it occurs. The difference with this scam is that it’s a phishing scam. Phishing scams are where scammers send out emails or other messages hoping to catch a victim on their proverbial hooks. This specific phishing attack uses the name of Geek Squad, which is the computer repair service arm of Best Buy.

    Scammers have been sending out emails that say your Geek Squad subscription is about to run out. The email continues with the claim that you’ll be charged several hundred dollars if you don’t cancel your subscription. The email contains a phone number to call if you want to cancel your subscription or dispute the charge. Much like the pop-up scam, the phone number leads to scammers instead of Geek Squad or Best Buy. From there, the scammers can commit a number of frauds by either taking control of the computer, getting your financial information, or both.

    Before calling any number, think back. Have you taken any device to the Geek Squad for any kind of service? If not, the email is almost certainly part of a scam. If you’re unsure, go over your financial records to see if any payments have been made to Geek Squad in the past. If not, then this is probably a scam email.

    It’s good general advice to never call any number or click on any link in an email that’s asking you for money. These emails can look like they’ve been sent by any number of legitimate companies. Instead of using the information in the email, go to the company’s website and instead contact them through official means at their website.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on December 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: customer service, , , ,   

    Microsoft pop-up scam claims more elderly victims 

    Microsoft pop-up scam claims more elderly victims

    By Greg Collier

    The technical support scam has been around almost as long as the internet has been commercially available. The scam can take many forms, but they all have the same goal. They all try to trick their victims into calling a phony technical support number. From there, any number of things can happen, from identity theft to the complete loss of a victim’s savings.

    However, there is one particular technical support scam that has become so prevalent lately, it might just be the second most common scam behind the arrest warrant scam. As we’ve said previously, barely a day goes by where we don’t see a report about this scam in multiple locations.

    The scam in question is the Microsoft pop-up scam. This is where a computer user either goes to a website or downloads an app that will trigger a pop-up telling them their computer has been compromised, and they need to call Microsoft support at the number listed on the pop-up. The elderly have largely been targeted in this scam, and many elderly victims have lost thousands to hundreds of thousands in this scam. It’s become such an issue recently, the FBI have issued a warning about the scam.

    The most recent victims who have come forward about the scam are an elderly couple from Michigan. They received one of these pop-ups on their computer stating the computer had been infected with a virus, and they need to call Microsoft immediately at the number given. They called the number and scammers told them they had to convert the money in their bank account to Bitcoin. The couple ended up sending $3000 to the scammers through a Bitcoin ATM.

    Microsoft has assured users that any legitimate pop-up from Microsoft about a virus will never include a phone number. The company recommends that if you receive one of the pop-ups with a phone number to press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your keyboard, clicking on Task Manager, and closing any programs they were using when the pop-up appeared.

    If you end up talking to one of these phony support centers, they’ll ask for remote access to your computer. You should never allow anyone you don’t know personally to have remote access to your computer, as that access is only used to further the scam or steal more information.

    If you have lost money to this scam, contact your local police department right away, then register a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov.

    If someone in your family or someone in your community is an elderly computer user, please warn them about this scam.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on November 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: customer service, Early Warning Systems, , , ,   

    Why do Zelle scam victims only get repaid after talking to the media? 

    Why do Zelle scam victims only get repaid after talking to the media?

    By Greg Collier

    It’s been more than a year now since the Zelle scam started garnering headlines. In that time, it doesn’t seem like Zelle’s parent company has done much in the way of protecting its users. If you’ll recall, Zelle is owned by a company ironically called Early Warning Systems. In turn, EWS is owned by Bank of America, Truist, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. You’d think between these banking heavy hitters, they’d be able to come up with a way to discourage scammers, yet here we are.

    While there are many scams that have plagued Zelle in the past year or so, we’re referring to the one where scammers pose as your bank. In this scam, victims receive a text message that asks them if they’ve made a large purchase or transfer recently. The victim is asked to respond with either a yes or no. Once the victim responds, the text message is followed up with a phone call. Posing as the victim’s bank’s fraud department, the scammers will direct the victim to either move their money or ‘pay themselves’ through Zelle to protect their bank account. What’s really happening is the scammers are walking the victim through the process of sending money to the scammers through Zelle.

    The banks, such as the ones listed above, have not been consumer-friendly when it comes to helping customers who have been scammed. Typically, these banks throw up their hands and say there’s nothing they can do. Instead, they claim since the victim authorized the transfer, even under false pretenses, the bank is under no obligation to refund the victim’s money.

    However, as we have shown, some victims have gotten their money back, but only after going to their local media. That’s exactly what happened to a family from Northern California when they fell victim to the Zelle scam. They were saving money for their daughter, who is disabled and training to be a para-equestrian. Initially, US Bank said there was no fraud, and there was nothing they could do. Then, after sharing their story with a local news station, US Bank mysteriously issued a refund. This begs the question of why do banks seem to only offer refunds when bad PR is involved? Also, what is it going to take for them to put in more safeguards to help prevent these scams?

    Please keep in mind, Zelle is only supposed to be used between friends and family, people you know personally. Any business or stranger that asks you to pay through Zelle could be trying to scam you. Your bank is also never going to ask you to move your money using Zelle.

    If you find yourself becoming a victim to this scam, the first thing you should do is file a police report immediately. While it’s not a guarantee of a refund, it does go a long way in helping. And if you’re not receiving the fair treatment you think you deserve from your bank, don’t be afraid to contact the consumer advocate reporter in your local area.

     

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