The 73-year-old victim said he was browsing on his iPad when a pop-up alert appeared, warning him that his financial accounts were at risk.
The popular scam tactic started with a pop-up.
“It just said I was compromised and I should get ahold of the bank right away,” he told me.
The Set Up
Concerned, he dialled the number displayed in the pop-up.
Unfortunately, this marked the beginning of a major error.
He was then introduced to someone claiming to be a bank executive.
The caller insisted that online scammers had hacked his account and that immediate action was required to protect his funds.
“What I need you to do is go to the bank, take the money out so we can secure it in a different account,” he told you.
Although initially sceptical, he was given the phone number of a fictitious computer technician who confirmed the fraudulent claim.
“All he kept saying was, “You need to get it out of there. “You don’t want these people to get your money,” the victim stated.
Expert Advice: How to protect yourself from fraud
Craig Costigan, the CEO of fraud experts NICE Actimize gave the following tips to readers of The U.S. Sun on how to stay safe from fraudsters.
- As the saying goes, trust but verify. Always question your text and email communications. It may not be from who you think it is. Look for giveaways that it is a scam email. If your bank contacts you about a fraud via a text or email, call the number on the back of your credit or debit card to contact the fraud department directly – much safer than giving data to an impersonator.
- Protect your personal identifying information such as social security cards, your blank checks and other IDs.
- Always be vigilant. Even the safest and most careful among us have encountered fraudsters – we survived
- because we reported the activity immediately to our providers, changed our passwords and checked our credit reports for unusual activity.
- If you are not applying for credit, you might also consider placing a freeze on your credit reports, such as Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, so fraudsters can’t open accounts in your name. You can easily unfreeze your credit when you want to open a new account.
Fearing for his savings, the retiree visited two different banks.
During those visits, he took out a total of $45,000, which was the nest egg he and his wife had been carefully saving for retirement.
Bank employees questioned the large withdrawal amounts, but he assured them that it was for a large purchase.
The scammer instructed the retired victim to share that he was using the money to buy a car.
REELED IN
The man was told, “Don’t say anything to anyone because someone at the bank may be compromised.” They might be in on it, so just stay quiet.”
Following the scammer’s detailed instructions, he placed the cash in a box and drove to a designated parking lot on Mentor Avenue.
A second suspect, posing as a federal banking official, approached his car, handed him a fake account number, took the box of money, and walked away.
It wasn’t until later, when the fraudster contacted him asking for more money, that he realised he had been duped.
“If I could get ahold of him now, I think I’d beat the hell out of him,” he told me.
He has since reported the crime to Mentor police, hoping that surveillance footage will help him track down the perpetrator.
However, he is concerned that his retirement savings will be lost forever.
Determined to warn others, he shared his story as a cautionary tale.
“I sincerely hope he doesn’t scam anyone else. “This is terrible to do to someone,” he said.
His advice to anyone who receives a similar pop-up warning online?
Turn them off. Do not look at them. “I have nothing to do with them.”
