Like a lot of people I consider myself to be smarter than the average bear. Which I guess maybe I am since I didn’t fall for it, but still this was a new one to me. Today I ran into a pretty good scam and figured I’d pass the experience on.

I got a text today from the fraud department at my bank at 11:59am my time. They obviously spoofed the number because it came from the same number that I have received fraud alerts from in the past. It told me there was some attempted charges overseas for a few hundred bucks each and asked me to reply with a Y/N, just like previous legitimate text messages have.

It’s the middle of the workday and I was busy and hit N. A few minutes later I got a call from my banks number (again must have been spoofed) with a rep on the phone.

He sounded like a native English speaker and knew a lot about me. The last 4 of my SSN, my home address and the email address I use for that bank.

After he “confirmed” my identity he started listing some potentially fraudulent transactions asking me if they were legit and asking me if I’d made them. After I said I hadn’t he told me that he denied the transactions and that I should change my password on the site. Here’s the thing, he told me I could do that in one of two ways, either go to my bank website and change my password or do so via a link he was sending. He sent me a text with a link but also sent instructions to change my password via the website with no link.

Then he said the last confirmation was to list the last three transactions I made.

I’m always suspicious of anyone who calls me so given the opportunity to fact check him, I made up three transactions. He said he saw all three so immediately I knew he was a scammer who couldn’t see my account.

After he “confirmed” all three that I made up I said “I just made those up” and his response was “you got me” and he hung up.

I redialed the number he called me from and got my actual bank fraud department.

It is a good operation. A native English speaker, calling from a spoofed number, in the middle of a work day when people are most likely busy and giving the option to change my info via the website or link, but not forcing the link on me. My guess is they are betting most people will just choose the link since it’s easier.

I posted this on FB and a couple friends said they had similar calls, each with a different bank than I. So I’m posting it here just as a reminder to stay frosty. A lot of scams are easy to recognize as such but there are some sophisticated ones that you gotta be wary of too.

That is pretty good.

I wonder if “penalty of death” would reduce such calls…

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
I wonder if “penalty of death” would reduce such calls…

Only if our courts went through with it.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
That is pretty good.

I wonder if “penalty of death” would reduce such calls…

Or a blanket pre-pardon for citizens who apply the penalty. A modern day bounty for "Wanted, Dead or Alive", with the pardon being the payoff.

Thanks for letting us know about your experience. Just like Fly-Sig’s experience from yesterday, here’s another reminder to never engage these scumbags, no matter how legit the message/call appears. If there are any charges on my cc, real or fraud, they will appear on my account activity page of the bank’s website. If fraud, then I would initiate a call the bank myself and easily resolve the situation. Banks will never let you get stuck with a fraudulent charge. If no suspicious transactions are on there, then nothing happened, and all these claims of “potential fraudulent charges” are bogus. Completely ignore them and just go about my business. So, all these sophisticated schemes these lowlifes come up with can never succeed if we don’t get sucked into their conversation.

OP's initial post sounds so much like my experience with "USAA" a couple of years ago, that I described in Fly-Sig's post.

I check my CC accounts at least once a week now.

“Beekeepers” needed. These guys are definitely getting better.

There are a lot of similarities in the content of your scam call to the one I got. Confirming 3 recent transactions is identical.

Did you confirm with your bank if they did or didn't send the first text?

I had some fraudulent charges on my NFCU account a few years ago. I was at a buddy’s in Gulf Port MS and sitting at the airport, I pulled up my account to check it. There were 5 separate $100 charges at 5 different gas stations in Jacksonville while I was in MS.

NFCU took care of things, reversed the charges, new number, new card. They also had me set up a codeword. Now, anytime I deal with NFCU, over the phone or in person at a branch office, they ask for my codeword. It helps because the scammers don't know to ask for it so I know upfront its a BS call.

If there is a suspect charge, my bank sends a recorded message, ending with, "Please contact us with the number on the back of your card." I feel pretty good about that.

That is pretty sneaky. It’s like you can trust NO ONE who calls you, text messages & email the same.

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
There are a lot of similarities in the content of your scam call to the one I got. Confirming 3 recent transactions is identical.

Did you confirm with your bank if they did or didn't send the first text?

I missed your post but yeah they are similar. Had I seen your post I would have just commented on it instead of starting a new thread.

I actually walked into my bank on Friday and talked to them about it. It was a pure scam for sure.

If you get an email, text message, phone call or a Girl Scout with a wagon full of free Thin Mints.

Close the door, hang up, delete the email and close the chat.


Then call the damned institution you do bidnizz wif and talk to a gotdamm live humming bean!!!

It's not that hard.


Maybe it's the whole "boomers raised to respect all authority" or something.

But I was gamed from birth, and realized "Nobody loves me but my mother and she could be jivin' too..." (respect to BB King)


I have been a cynic, and a doubting SOB all my life.


(not to mention I was a breach baby, so I came into this world showing my ass and ain't never corrected the trajectory)

The only thing that has worked on me, was my three wives and them damned "Thin Mints" they were selling...

Several times now we've been getting some woman calling and asking to confirm if we have Medicare Part A and B...while talking to the answering machine. "Can you hear me?"