Short version: Very convincing CC scammer got some information out of me today pretending to be from the Amex fraud group. Scammer managed to make a new card and make an ATM withdrawal just as I cought on but before I could cancel my card with the real Amex fraud group. What should I do next if anything?
Long version: Background and context: I’m on my 4th week at a new job sitting at my cube preparing for an important meeting less than 10 minutes away. I get a call from a 1-800 number and I decide to pick up which is something I would typically let go to voicemail and call back if its important.
Caller: Hi this is Michael with American Express am I speaking to (me) Me: Hi, yes C: We’re calling to let you know we’ve just seen an attempt for a suspicious purchase. Did you just attempt a transaction for $712 dollars at a Walmart in Tallahassee, FL M: Definitely not C: Ok well no problem we'll go ahead and reject this transaction and freeze your account. To verify your identity can you please tell me the 4 digit code on the front of your card?
I know, cringe. Like I said, context. I was taken by surprise minutes away from missing an important meeting and I was just thinking of course they verify your identity although that's not typically how they would do it. Dumb
M: (shares number) C: Thanks Mr (name) please hold and we'll start processing a request for a new card. * C: You should have just gotten a text with a verification code can you please confirm?
I had already started to get a little suspicious for a couple reasons (such as people like this usually are in a call center with a little background noise but it was dead quiet with this guy) and then this seemed really strange. The text came from a number I had gotten Amex messages from in the past so I hesitantly gave the code. Shortly after beginning the call I had checked my account to see if I saw any pending charges which I didn't. After this last request I attempted to look at my account again but got an incorrect password message and I really began to worry that I screwed up. At this point I was already late for my meeting and was getting really frustrated.
M: I'm now locked out of my account. What's up with that? C: Yes, they also tried to access your online account so we needed to lock it.
I'm done. BULLSHIT.
M: How do I know you are who you say you are? C: Of course no problem... bullshit bullshit bullshit ... and we have your address listed as (my old address)
CLICK
I walk to find a private room to call the real Amex and report this when I see an ATM withdrawal notification pop up on my phone. $1003.
Fuck
Already a really long story but to summarize, in my own stupidity, I had been tricked into giving the scammer enough information to access my account online (I assume through pw rest, hence the code texted to me that I shared) and create a new CC that they were then able to use at an ATM minutes later. I was speaking with the real Amex fraud department minutes after hanging up with this guy and they're getting it all sorted out and recommended I change passwords to stuff and so on.
The really crazy part of this (minus me being a complete idiot in my haste) is that as I spoke to the real Amex fraud member they sounded so much like the scammer in their format and approach. I would like to think if this had happened any other time today I would have caught on sooner and avoided this mess but who knows.
Anyone else had a similar experience? Kind of freaky that they knew what they knew about me before the call and just needed these last few things to pull this off. Any suggestions for follow-up I should consider because of this?
Submitted April 24, 2019 at 07:27AM by richboii17 http://bit.ly/2GE81XV
