Yesterday someone close to me came very close to losing their entire savings, a significant amount of money. It would have been emotionally and financially devastating. Thank God they figured it out before it was too late , but not before they had given the scammer enough information to change the login information to their bank account and start the process of draining their account.
I could hardly sleep last night after hearing the story, knowing that this person had worked so hard for that money and how bad and victimized they felt for being scammed. I’m still upset for them.
It wasn’t an elderly person or a uniformed person who didn’t know about scams. They never thought it could happen to them, and now their confidence is damaged and they feel shaken to the core.
There were several reasonable the scammer was able to convince them that it was legit .
- The called ID said Wells Fargo and displayed the correct customer service phone number.
- The scammer knew certain information about them.
- They were driving in traffic when they got the call and couldn’t think as clearly as usual.
- They claimed that their account had fraudulent charges on it which is not unusual.
- Even though they were suspicious, they didn’t trust their instincts until it was almost too late.
I share this cautionary tale because it’s scam season. This Wells Fargo scam is a known scam.
If someone calls you and claims they’re from Wells Fargo, tell them you’ll call them back. Look up the number and call it. Don’t give them any information!!! Just because it says a certain name on your phone when someone calls doesn’t mean it’s real. They can change that to anything.
Don’t think it can’t happen to you! They’re slick and know exactly what to say to sound like a real banker.
NEVER give a caller a code that they ask you for from your phone!!!
The two factor verification process is meant to prevent fraud but they are very convincing. Do not tell them anything . No bank or credit card or government agency is going to ask YOU for your log in or account information. They already should have it!
If you call them yourself and you’re sure it’s the bank or credit card company, they’ll ask you for your security questions or PIN. Be sure to have that.
We live in a world where people have no qualms about taking what doesn’t belong to them. It’s unfortunate that we have to be so careful, but people lose their money to scammers all the time.
Social media is also full of scammers. Beware! Assume everyone is a scammer. I almost got scammed when a facebook friend had her account hacked!
The common scam is when someone hacks your account by changing your password, they use your actual profile page to trick your friends into sending them money for a fake estate sale. it looks legit but it’s not. They ask you to send a deposit . Don’t do it!
Stay alert and always use two factor verification. Have a back up email and phone number in case they block your main one. Change your passwords to something long and difficult. Write it down. Use different passwords for your bank account and other websites. Check your account transactions regularly.
Stay safe. Happy Saturday!
Blue Skies and Green Pastures 
All great advice. Very sad and alarming how easy it is to be scammed these days.
About a week ago I got a call from someone claiming to be from my bank, asking me to verify the authenticity of a check I wrote. I told them I felt uncomfortable giving my personal information over the phone, and said I’d call them back. Then I called my bank. Turns out it really was a legit call, but it left me feeling unsettled, because scammers take advantage of this procedure by making similar calls that aren’t legit.
Yes it is . Glad you checked it out first .
I had a gentleman that worked in a bank tell me to replace your debit card with a new number at least once a year. His reason was that those who receive your information during security breaches, often sit on it for over a year before using it.
Also have your bank send you a text of every transaction over one cent. This has saved me from quite a bit of hassle over the years, because I can immediately contact the bank when a fraudulent transaction posts to my account.
And in today’s smart phone world, my new card is instantly available in my wallet. The reason for the one cent is because my account has been pinged with a random deposit to see if it is still active. I suppose a deposit is used because people are more likely to not question free money rather than money taken 🫤
I’m a big believer in alerts!
I will never give a PIN over a phone‼️ Only use identifying secret questions. If the agency does not know the question you’ve supplied in setting up the account, it’s not THEM!😉