Today I effed up by almost falling for a scam. It started relatively normal, a number representing my bank's fraud department called and inquired about a potential fraud charge across the country from me, this is not abnormal for my bank as they have contacted me prior in instances of fraud and locked the account.
The person in question sent a text message alert similar to what my bank does: "Bank of xxxx has detected abnormal activity on your account. If you did not initiate x transaction reply with NO to freeze your account." Immediately after replying, the 800 number associated with my bank called and a "rep" talked me through "security steps" that began innocent: "confirm the on-file email, confirm the on-file username", but it got a lot more red-flag apparent when they started asking me to provide confirmation numbers that were sent to my phone via text message. The first one seemed okay, but then they informed me they would be "setting up zelle protection" and needed a new confirmation number. When I got the text, there were big bold letters stating "WE WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR THIS CONFIRMATION NUMBER. IF ANYONE ASKS FOR IT AND YOU DID NOT CONTACT US, HANG UP AND CALL THE FRAUD DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY."
Needless to say alarm bells started ringing, I told the "rep" I was not comfortable with this phone call and to be safe, I was going to contact the bank myself. He kept trying to assure me he was a bank rep and that he was "calling from the number on my card, just check it". After a moment of back and forth, my intuition won and I hung up on him and immediately called my bank.
Several things had happened: 1. There were no original fraud charges the "rep" claimed had existed, 2. He had gained access to my online account and was trying to empty my account via Zelle and needed approval (thank goodness), and 3. His activity would have flown under the radar had I not called and inquired.
My account is considered compromised and the bank has frozen ALL funds and cards associated with the account. I have to wait for the morning to go into a branch to sign an affidavit and open a new account to roll my current finances into it.
Lesson learned the hard way, NEVER trust a call that you did not place, even if everything looks and sounds right. If your gut says "something isn't right" it probably isn't. No banking rep is going to get mad if they start helping you and you suddenly don't trust them, their job is to protect you as an asset and they will understand if you hang up and initiate a call on your own.
TL;DR: someone pretended to be a banking rep for my banks fraud department. Called from a bank number and did everything as a "normal" rep would until they started asking for confirmation numbers my bank, luckily, sends with a warning message never to give out.
Submitted October 28, 2020 at 08:02PM by Fringefiles https://ift.tt/2G8FYCH
