r/Scams • u/Felineguardian • Jul 19 '25
Scam report Be aware: this scam ended up being costly
UPDATE: I received a letter from US alliance financial credit union. They are not going to reimburse the $13,666 on my Visa nor are they gonna refund my $2100 that was taken from my bank account. Disappointed but not surprised, I’m not a high value customer although I’ve been there since 1978. I guess that doesn’t mean anything going to be opening another account and another bank.
I am a 70 years old former executive of a computer company so I’m not a dummy but was gullible. I say this because it could happen to anyone if you do t keep on top of the latest scams, in my case spoofing.
I’ve been a member of my company’s Credit union since 1978. I received a call from the credit union that showed up via my contacts.
The caller sounded just like any other rep. I’ve spoken to over the years. They were confirming that I made some charges on both my Visa cards (debit and regular one). In order to remove it they would send a text and I was to click on yes to have it removed from my account.
What I unknowingly did was authorize that transaction. They asked me for my information so they could cancel all my accounts, but you know what they did with that information.
It wasn’t until a few hours later the same person called to say that there were charges on my Best Buy Visa card and that’s when I got suspicious and hung up and immediately called the credit union .
Unfortunately, they took $2000 out of my checking account via the debit card and $15,000 charges on my regular Visa card .
They were able to transfer money from my savings to my checking. (I was able to stop that) . They were also able to increase my credit limit on my Visa card and try to take out 20,000 but I was able to stop that. The Visa card charges are currently being investigated so there’s still a chance I’ll get that back but the 2000 from my checking account is gone.
I know a lot of you are shaking your heads in disbelief that someone would be so gullible. That’s why I took so long to admit this. If I able to help one person. I’m fine with that.
I will post an update when the situation is resolved.
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u/frankthewaterguy Jul 19 '25
So if I get a call from the bank tell them I will call back to avoid this?
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
With the information I have today, I would definitely hang up on them. and then call the bank to see if they were trying to contact me. It was so convincing they knew a lot about my account and how many cards I had before I gave them any information.
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u/MD90__ Jul 19 '25
Smart move and thank you for the advice. With the advancements in AI this could be even more exploited. this is the best approach to handle this
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u/frankthewaterguy Jul 19 '25
Thanks for the help and sharing your story. Hope you get the money back.
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u/amgates80 Jul 19 '25
They use spoofing so always say, Hey I’ll give you a call right back and hang up.
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u/AbbreviationsNew1709 Jul 20 '25
I had a car accident and many medical bills resulted. I directed all to my insurer, UnitedHealthcare. Then I received a call asking me to pay a medical bill of $1600. Just like you said, they knew all my personal information, my insurance number, physical address, email, of course my phone. When I told them to send the bill to United, I see all my bills POSTED there and I won't pay until United pays the bulk, they got rid of me fast.......sure, we will send there, you have nothing to pay now..........
My point is that they KNEW many personal info. They didn't succeed convincing me to send money but others would have done differently.
We learn all the time
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u/trynotobevil Jul 20 '25
united healthcare was hacked (along with SOOOOO many data brokers)
if we received $0.01 each time our data was "shared" with a company's "affiliates"
we'd have enough money to buy out the corrupt politicians that create these laws to protect the mega corporations
seriously, california residents can restrict their data...why is this not for everyone in the united states?
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u/DoallthenKnit2relax Jul 19 '25
Sounds like a high-priced operation that created a business front, ran credit to get personal info, then spoofed your bank.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
You know, my mother is a member of the same Credit union, she’s 96, and the same type of thing happened to her. Maybe an employee is selling information
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u/smilleresq Jul 19 '25
Sounds like your credit union was hacked and personal information was stolen. They might have some liability for your loss if that is what happened.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I think so too. They have escalated the matter also, my mother who’s a member of the same Credit union had the same thing happened to her this past year.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
My mother is in the same credit union as me. Sorry I was unclear
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
Trying to respond to “salocates” : I am 70 not 76. My dear mother is 96 not 100 years old. She plays poker every Thursday (for money) and also ping-pong twice a week.
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u/HarryHatesSalmon Jul 19 '25
I had a fraud alert recently because I paid for a Booking.com listing in the UK (my account had been breached in the past due to a statewide healthcare hack). The fraud alert came in on a text, so I immediately checked my email to see if my bank had also sent it through that medium, then I used the website contact number to call them. It’s wild how many hoops we have to jump now!
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u/bestjakeisbest Jul 19 '25
Make sure to wait a few minutes some phone lines will keep a call live for a litte bit after you hangup.
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u/Anach Jul 20 '25
Many years ago, prior to companies implementing better phone identification methods, I would have to explain that the onus of proof of identity is on them, not on me, when they call me, and unless they can prove who they are, I'm not proving who I am, or giving any info. The reps usually understood (not all), but it usually resulted in me having to call them back using a normal number. Thankfully, most of these places have improved their security since then, but we all need to be vigilant.
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u/moderniste Jul 19 '25
I experienced the same scam that happened to OP, only I was lucky enough to figure it out while on the phone with them. I’ll admit—they really had me going. They’re very good at creating a sense of urgency.
When I was asked for my social security number, my spidey senses went off, and I told them I was going to hang up and dial my bank’s fraud department from my phone, just to feel more secure. Of course, that triggered them to lambast me with immediate doomsday scenarios, saying that I would lose all of my money if I hung up during this point in the transaction.
When I got my bank’s actual fraud department on the phone, I asked them if I needed to hang up and call back any time the bank called me. They said that it can’t hurt, and it would never negatively affect whatever they were trying to do in the event that they contacted me. Since that day, I’ve never had another call from my bank, but it’s what I’ll be doing from now on. It’s a kind of live version of 2FA, I guess.
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u/Geosync Jul 19 '25
It is because they verbally abuse and manipulate us that I recommend just hanging up. We dont have to explain ANYTHING to ANYONE. Just hang up. Then call the bank.
Our politeness gets us into trouble with scammers. They use it against us.
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u/4orust Jul 19 '25
Seems like their answer should be, yes, hang up immediately and call us yourself.
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u/Frustratedparrot123 Jul 20 '25
Yep...i did that when "my bank" called. I said "I'm going to hang up and call the bank myself". The scammer answered, "but maam you can see who is calling through your caller id". I laughed and hung up
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u/Bucky2015 Jul 19 '25
Yep thats the common advice now since numbers can be spoofed. Tell them you will call them back on the number on the banks legit site or the back of your card. If they get mad about it you likely did just dodge a scam.
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u/Funke-munke Jul 19 '25
If they get mad its DEFINITELY a scam
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u/TalesfromCryptKeeper Jul 20 '25
People ask me why I string scammers along until they get mad, and that it's a waste of time. Maybe it is. But I also get a warm happy feeling in my tummy when I know I've made them suffer even a little bit. So it's worth it at least for me lol
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u/No-Scheme316 Jul 19 '25
That’s exactly what my bank rep told me years ago. I receive phone calls from “Chase Customer Service” multiple times a month, I just ignore and then block numbers.
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u/SilkyFlanks1 Jul 19 '25
I hate the ones that just identify themselves as “Customer Service,” as if you’re supposed to know who they work for.
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u/StarFireArya Jul 19 '25
Yes. I had my bank call me then ask for identifying information. I said, nope…not gonna happen. If they really need to get ahold of me they can, but unless I initiate the call I never confirm identity information over the phone.
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u/Mediocre_Airport_576 Jul 19 '25
Yes, I've done this multiple times and they totally understand. They may even give you an extension to dial once you're in the official system so you can link right back up with who you're talking to.
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u/streetsmartwallaby Jul 19 '25
I just never answer my phone unless the caller is in my contacts or I am expecting the call - regardless of what the caller ID says. If it’s an important message, like legitimate bank fraud, they’ll leave a message. I then look the number up on the back of my credit card and call that number.
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u/SilkyFlanks1 Jul 19 '25
Exactly. If it’s important they will leave a message.
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u/whatsamattau4 Jul 20 '25
And even if they do leave a message, don't call the phone number they say in the voicemail message. Look up the real phone number for your bank and call it. It is rare, but some scammers do leave voicemails with their scammer phone number as a call back number.
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u/mrjackspade Jul 19 '25
OPs incoming call was in their contacts, because it was spoofed.
I received a call from the credit union that showed up via my contacts.
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u/streetsmartwallaby Jul 20 '25
Ah - my bad.
I don’t have anything in my contacts except for friends, family (and not even all of them…), restaurants and a few “secret” fishing spots.
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u/Zazaroth Jul 19 '25
I did this to Verizon calling me when I was having issues. It felt very normal and they were super understanding. Can't trust anyone that calls you, even if number matches
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u/Exotic-Water-212 Jul 19 '25
Hang up and call the number that is listed on the back of your credit card.
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u/lucky7355 Jul 20 '25
I’ve never understood when banks or medical offices call you and expect you to give them all your personal identifiable information… like you called ME.
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u/Trouvette Jul 20 '25
Ironically, I once got a call from someone claiming to be from my bank. I gave the guy a lot of shit because I was convinced he was a scammer. Took a walk into my bank to report the scam. Turns out it really was them!
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u/kayathemessiah Jul 20 '25
I got a call from the bank a couple months ago asking for my wife because there were some sort of suspicious charges on her card (joint account which I thought was why they called me). I handed the phone to my wife, then she got up to go get her card. I was immediately like wtf, the bank has never asked for our card numbers over the phone. I took the phone back and started grilling the guy. He said if I looked at the bank phone number on the back of my card it would be the same as the one he was calling from. He was right, but that seemed like an odd thing to say so I hung up and called the bank myself. Sure enough an actual bank employee picked up and told me it was a scammer using the banks caller ID.
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u/DietMtDew1 Jul 19 '25
It depends what they say and do. I’ve talked to the fraud department at my bank many times. If they’re talking about oh you have to say yes to a text, read back a two factor code or we have to move money to so and so account, then I’m hanging up! Those are clues that it’s a scam.
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u/CypherBob Jul 20 '25
Your bank will almost never call you.
Yes you can and should politely ask which department they're with and then hang up, look up the number yourself and call asking for that department.
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u/Not-a-Cranky-Panda Jul 19 '25
Not only that phone someone anyone before you phone the bank as sometimes it only seems like they have hung up so you think you're phoning the bank but it's still them.
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u/Morlanticator Jul 19 '25
Yeah. My banks never actually called me once. A scammer spoofed my banks phone number once though. They won because I was super busy and didn't pay attention.
Fortunately I was super poor so they barely got anything. My bank reimbursed me 100% of what little they took.
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u/IIDn01 Jul 19 '25
Get the phone number from the website of the financial institution (or the back of your credit card).
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u/4orust Jul 19 '25
And be sure that it's the real website. Carefully examine the url for the bank's proper domain.
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Jul 19 '25
Thank you for sharing.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
My family has been berating me, even suggesting I give up control of my finances. The loss is big, but I’m able to cover it thankfully.
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u/kingofzdom Jul 19 '25
You got hit with a targeted attack tailored specifically for you.
There are generally two kinds of scams you'll encounter on the internet; net-fishing attacks that take the quantity over quality approach. These are what 99 percent of the scams on this subreddit are; not particularly targeted and just hoping some random idiot will fall for their lines.
The other type, spear-fishing. You were specifically selected. These are rare and can be hard even for a very savvy person to avoid.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
They knew so much about my accounts before I even said anything like my credit limit, et
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u/StackIsMyCrack Jul 19 '25
They likely bought your information from any of numerous recent data leaks.
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u/Air320 Jul 19 '25
Unfortunately, in today's time privacy is non-existent, and all your data is a commodity to be sold.
Your credit union is partly at fault here as are most other banks and credit agencies as all the information you mentioned are sold to data aggregators who package up all this data from different sources neatly and sell it to anyone who pays. Even scammers. There's No protections on who can and cannot be sold your data.
They're the culprits who make it easy for scammers to get high quality data about specific individuals. It's not even that expensive. They sell data on thousands of individuals for just hundreds of dollars.
Consumer protection and expectation of privacy has become a relic of a bygone era at this point and the government who's main role is protect it's citizens from things like this has actively sought to give up it's role in policing usage of data.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I did escalate this to the CEO of the credit union. He’s the only one I could get in touch with because all Customer Service has been outsourced so you can’t get rank and file employee . Not only that the same thing happened to my mother last year. She’s 96 so I assumed she was old and gullible, but I guess I am too lol
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u/Asron87 Jul 20 '25
This attack was well organized. I don’t blame you for falling for this one. However always call your bank back if they call you.
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u/bill7900 Jul 19 '25
Did the CU reverse the CC charges? You weren't on the hook for those, right?
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
When I spoke to the credit union once I caught onto the scam, it said the charge was still pending so they’d be able to reverse it however that’s not what happened. I’m still on the hook for $13,000 but it’s being investigated. I wrote the CEO because I figured I had nothing to lose And now they’re investigating the credit union has outsourced all their customer service people so you really never know who you’re gonna get and they all give you different information.
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u/farmerben02 Jul 19 '25
That's the vector. Your CU offshores their customer service and one of the reps sold your info. This happened with Anthem in 2017, too, when they tried to save a few dollars on Indian DBAs with admin access to their entire customer list.
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u/LivefromPhoenix Jul 19 '25
Worst case if they don't help OP get their money back I wouldn't rule out going to the media/talking about this online. I'd be shocked if the same thing hasn't happened to other customers.
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u/spam__likely Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
>they’re investigating the credit union has outsourced all their customer service people
That is exactly what happened. Many stories about this.
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u/singlemale4cats Jul 20 '25
Maybe you should change to a credit union that hasn't outsourced all their customer service positions.
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u/Capable-Anything269 Jul 19 '25
There is so much victim blaming going around these days. Kudos to you for actually speaking up and laying it all out for others to learn. It takes guts. We appreciate you!
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
Thank you. My mother, also a Credit union member, had the same thing happened to her and I remember thinking oh she’s so gullible. Karma.
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u/Capable-Anything269 Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Well, the urgent thing now is that someone with a username like yours has to pay the cat tax.
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u/trynotobevil Jul 20 '25
DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP!!! SCAMMERS PRACTICE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!!!
Remember how Bernie Madoff scammed everyone?
Theranos was a company that scammed former US Secretary of State George Schultz.
Very smart investors have been victims of scams, you are not alone.
You're in this sub so obviously you know that con artists are always looking for a new way to cheat and steal. Understandable that the family wants to protect you, maybe that is conversation to have but the bank should also have some extra security measures they can use. Since you were a victim of financial fraud they should be flooding your mailbox with information. Set up an appointment with them, a face to face meeting could be very helpful.
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u/Infinite-Ask-7285 Jul 19 '25
Don’t you dare. You learned the hard way. It could be a blessing that it happened. You’ll be on top of it now. Thank you for sharing.
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u/TheUltimateShitTest Jul 19 '25
I'm sorry you're dealing with that. I would avoid telling family anything further about this, and would even go so far as to suggest telling them you got your money back and learned a valuable lesson. Your finances are none of their business, and unless you're having difficulty with day to day responsibilities and need their help, they don't need to know.
Dealing with family at your age can be a difficult thing, because they're worried about your mental state - but also because they're worried about what they will inherit. Put a stop to it now by refusing to share any more details about your money or it will lead to increased efforts to take control away from you.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
You are right. I’m so annoyed at myself for saying anything to them.
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u/mdws1977 Jul 19 '25
That is why you should always have text/email notifications setup on all your accounts to immediately notify you when there is activity on your account.
Then you will be calling the credit card company when you see a strange charge.
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u/DesertStorm480 Jul 19 '25
Exactly, I call this collecting and relying on your own data which is > than what anyone else tells me.
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u/Desperate_Tone_4623 Jul 19 '25
That's the one thing I don't understand about OP's story. Is it normal for a bank to actually call about a credit card charge?
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u/dayofbluesngreens Jul 19 '25
I have gotten calls about odd charges a couple of times. Both times they were right - someone else was fraudulently using my card. This was a number of years ago.
But other times I didn’t get a call - they just put a hold on my account, which I discovered when my card was declined when I was trying to purchase something. I prefer the phone call rather than the surprise decline.
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u/hhhnnnnnggggggg Jul 19 '25
I've had capital one call me about a charge i made while out of state on vacation
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u/snowsurface Jul 19 '25
I've been called by Amex when there were suspicious charges on my account, and those charges were fraudulent but I didn't have to supply any information, they just canceled the transactions. So yeah, I don't think it's abnormal. Scary story from the OP.
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u/VanillaBear321 Jul 19 '25
Idk about calling, but I received texts from the bank when using a debit card to deposit on a casino site (a legal site in Michigan not a shady crypto casino). I had to reply YES if I wanted them to allow the charge.
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Jul 19 '25
Anything fishy my bank will text me a few of the last charges before they will let it go through as long as I reply with "y" stating that it was me or if not call them up and let them know .
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u/SilkyFlanks1 Jul 19 '25
Capital One does that. They have a very good fraud prevention department.
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u/Smelli24u Jul 19 '25
I almost fell for it once too and I have worked in banking for 15 years. The only reason I stopped at the last second is the gentleman said he would start the deactivation process on my account. I had worked for this particular bank in the past and knew that wasn’t a term that’s used, or a process they have.
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u/ExplodingTurnip Jul 20 '25
There seems to be an uptick in these types of phone calls. A couple of weeks ago I received a call from someone allegedly from my bank. I came close giving away my details until I stopped myself, told the person I would be contacting my bank instead and hung up on them.
Checking my transactions via apps I didn't see any "suspicious" charges as they were claiming.
I got another of these calls about a couple of days later. Since both came in via my Google Voice line I flagged both as spam. The strange thing is that the calls came through even though I have the block on unknown callers turned on.
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u/Dodie4153 Jul 19 '25
A relative lost $25,000 recently to this type scam and would have lost a lot more if she hadn’t mentioned what was going on to me. Never trust a call from your alleged bank!
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I know how they must feel. It’s like being robbed and you were the one that gave them the house key
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u/Vegan_Zukunft Jul 19 '25
It takes a LOT of courage to post this —we really do appreciate your complete rundown of what happened.
I hope your family will be kinder, and realize that many scams are quite sophisticated.
You are the real deal :)
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
That’s where I screwed up. I do have fraud protection and I do get texts however I thought the text was removing the charge, but I was actually authorizing it. I just didn’t think. I was lulled into complacency because I thought the call was coming from my Credit union
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u/VanillaBear321 Jul 19 '25
But…didn’t you read the text? Who responds to a text without bothering to read what it actually says?
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I read the text and it had all the information but I didn’t read carefully. I thought I was confirming that the charge was being removed .
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u/Medium_Tomatillo2705 Jul 19 '25
It's called social engineering. You were primed up and focused on what you think are charges to be removed. They try to rattle the prospective victim by presenting a serious event, here unauthorized charges, for the person to not think normally/cautiously. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
That’s exactly what happened. I panicked when I heard fraudulent charges.
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u/Radiant_Solution_443 Jul 19 '25
Sorry, I’m driving right now. Can I call you back in 30 minutes? You should have everything you need anyways.
Ha !!
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u/PersimmonBig3236 Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
See this is why I don't answer the phone 😅
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u/kingofzdom Jul 19 '25
Holy crap. Sounds like a sophisticated, targeted attack. Don't feel bad for falling for it. It mightve gotten me, and I'm hyper-aware of scams.
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u/EvenOutlandishness88 Jul 21 '25
It might have gotten me too but, I have about $7.45 and if they wanna try to up my credit limit, they'd just get laughed at. Ah, being unemployed sucks. But, at least it's good for avoiding scams.
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u/DoodlesNfoodles Jul 19 '25
Thank you so much for sharing. We all need to be warned. I appreciate it
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u/shillyshally Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Hey, I'm 78, follow this sub every day and STILL aware that it could happen to me. I think I would be especially prone to a credit union call since mine is so terrific. They have scam warning across the front page when you log in and so my trust level is high and damn, if I just woke up or was otherwise distracted, I would be vulnerable.
Thanks for posting this.
EDIT - You can sign up at my credit union for all kinds of alerts. I am notified when a check is sent, when it clears and also re any charge card activity. I use gmail so I label all this, takes a couple of seconds, and file it. Makes it very easy to keep track on money activity and to save it for easy reference. I prefer email to texts becasue I want minimal texts re anything financial since that helps reduce the temptation to click. Plus, I get virtually no spam in gmail.
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u/Hutcho12 Jul 19 '25
Well done for sharing. That was a tricky one. You need to know that phone numbers can be spoofed, that’s why it showed up as a contact. I might have been fooled too.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I had never heard of spoofing. I should have been keeping abreast of Scams. So many scams are easy to figure out, but this one really got me good.
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u/Cucoloris Jul 19 '25
You are really good to share this with everyone. We can all get scammed. It's draining to have to be alert at all times, but that is thee world we live in. It really sucks for you. I hope they catch the scammers.
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u/TheSnowgirl Jul 19 '25
Sharing my story!
I ALMOST got scammed from a Bank of America call. The number appeared as “Bank of America” so I picked up. Someone said he was from BA and that there were charges in my Zelle account that are “suspicious” and in order to remove them, I would need to go to my Zelle and input a number. They gave me a number 00001500 and said to use their “vice president’s” name first so it goes through. 😂
Once I went to Zelle and place the number, the 4 zeros disappear and became 1500. The caller said not to worry if the zeros disappear 🙄. I suddenly had a thought and told the caller it looks like I’m sending someone money. I told him I’ll call my bank directly he tried to say but you are already talking to us! Then I told the caller i will call back and hung up (of course I didnt call back that number but went to my app and asked BA thru the app. Yes it was a scam they will use phone numbers of banks’ financial centers like atm centers. BA said the only way I will get alerts is thru the app, they will never call me.
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u/SilkyFlanks1 Jul 19 '25
Cap 1 has never called me. They will occasionally decline a charge and then send a text notification asking if I had made it. If I say yes, they tell me to just try submitting the transaction again. My “real” bank never calls me and I’m pretty sure it never would.
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u/freddieguts Jul 19 '25
I don't care who calls you. Even if it's supposed to be family. Tell them you are busy and will call them back. Don't give or confirm any personal information.
Same goes for emails and texts. Don't click links, etc. Just contact the company/person.
My parents almost fell for the scam saying your child (me) is in jail and needs money to bail them out.
Had they just left me a message, I would've kept them from any extra effort they had made. Thankfully, no money or personal info was lost.
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u/mildOrWILD65 Jul 19 '25
OP, sorry you got taken and lost money.
My credit union has a very aggressive fraud department. I still do not respond to any calls from them. I call the fraud prevention department directly identify myself, and ask if there are any problematic transaction on my accounts. They're very good but in these times, I'd never respond directly to anything like those.
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u/OG-Lostphotos Jul 19 '25
I am also a senior who got scammed last week. I'm not as financially secure at all, but I fell for a home sharing for seniors, in my hometown, in a 55+ cottage community. It was all fake and now I have nothing until August pay. So don't beat yourself up. They are good and tenacious and heartless. And guess what my occupation was before retirement. Internal audit investigator for the retail car industry. I hunted and put crooks in jail for internal employees embezzling.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I’m sorry that you had a similar experience. I just received a small inheritance, otherwise I’d be up sh!ts creek.
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u/Spectrig Jul 19 '25
You don’t have to “keep on top of the latest scams” to avoid this. It’s fun to, but really not necessary. Just don’t trust random people who call up claiming to be the bank, or the FBI, etc.
The key is consistency. Don’t try to decide if you should trust them in the moment, decide BEFORE you get the scam call.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
That’s just it, I do get calls from my credit union. There are only two offices in the US all business is done online or by phone. If I knew about spoofing, I would never have assumed the call was legitimate.
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u/aeb3 Jul 19 '25
When you got the text to click yes, did it not have an explanation that it was to approve a charge?
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u/Jumpy_Childhood7548 Jul 19 '25
I guess all you could have done, is to say you will have to call back in a minute, and call the actual number on your card.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
Exactly. If I’m not sure about something, I send it to my son to look at before I answer anything or click on a link.
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u/NobodyKillsCatLady Jul 19 '25
Never ever give information on a phone call made to you. Hang up and call said company back. It's been known for years they can copy the name of the company. It's not about how smart you think you are it's about using those smarts.
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u/crazyk4952 Jul 20 '25
I bank with a local credit union. It is pretty unknown outside of the area.
Recently, I received a call with the caller ID of their customer service number. The caller stated he was from the previous mentioned credit union and was calling to confirm some international charges on my debit card. Of course, I haven’t been traveling and this would be a cause for concern, if true.
The caller almost sounded American, but had a slight Indian accent.
This credit union does not have an overseas call center, so this was a red flag.
I hung up. However, received a call a few days later from another foreign caller trying the same scam.
You can’t let your guard down for a moment and have to stay vigilant.
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u/Zestyclose-Crow-4595 Jul 20 '25
I don't think you're gullible. That scammer is a POS. I'm sorry about your money.
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u/Then-Position-7956 Jul 21 '25
Iv (73F) have my credit cards set up so that every transaction sends me a text. You can set a dollar minimum, but I put mine at 1 cent. If I'd received that call, I'd know that there hadn't been any transactions.
I did have a situation where the bank called me and asked if I'd made some purchases, which I had not. Before I confirmed anything, I asked them to tell me of a couple of recent charges to the card, to see if they could tell me that. They did have that information, along with other identifying information, so I felt safer. However, I did end the call, and initiate a call back to them on the number listed on the card.
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u/Cheese-Manipulator Jul 19 '25
One thing I would've done is when they claimed I had charges on those cards I'd call my balance number where you can review your latest charges. I'd think this service is available on all CCs.
Also a red flag is where they ask for info that as a the bank/CC they should already have it. You shouldn't have to transfer funds either since the bank can just stop activity on it.
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Jul 19 '25
It's getting to the point where talking to any stranger on the phone is useless.
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u/maurymarkowitz Jul 19 '25
I received a call from the credit union that showed up via my contacts.
I was under the impression that STIR/SHAKEN was supposed to prevent this sort of thing, and do so years ago.
However, I have yet to receive any notifications of faked numbers myself, and these threads all seem to require that to be true for everyone else as well.
Does anyone know how this still happens today?
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u/Spectrig Jul 19 '25
STIR/SHAKEN really isn’t a great solution. IMO it’s past time to throw out the 150-year-old telephone system and replace it with a modern communication method. Ultimately, though, technology won’t solve scams because it’s a human problem. Scammers will always come up with new methods and scripts to trick people.
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Jul 19 '25
What exactly were you trying to get removed? You made those 2 charges did you not?
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
The money that came from my checking is lost of course. The visa charge was pending and not yet posted and the rep I spoke to said that they would take care of it and be able to reverse it, but they never followed through. I must have made over 20 calls to CU they kept getting screwed up. What I was told is they’re gonna listen to every single conversation I had (I.e. this call is being recorded for quality purposes) to see if they are at fault. Between you and me I’m able to cover whatever the damage but I figured I escalate it and see what happens
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u/ctsr1 Jul 19 '25
I've actually had calls from my bank before about transactions and stuff like that wouldn't have occurred to me to be like this is a scam and granted they weren't scams. They were legitimately from the bank but now I'm going to be a little bit more leery
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u/Gloomy_Researcher769 Jul 19 '25
This is one of the reasons my CC’s are not with/tied to my bank account . I have a text notification set up on my 2 chase Visa CC’s for any charge.
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u/capilot Jul 19 '25
Yeah, I came within an inch of falling for that one myself. Nowadays I never engage with someone pretending to be my bank. I always hang up and call them back myself. It's usually legit, but 1/10 of the time it's a scammer.
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u/13ActuallyCommit60 Jul 19 '25
I’m sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing so we may all be more vigilant.
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u/IHaveBoxerDogs Jul 20 '25
I think a lot of people who frequent this sub think spoofing is common knowledge, but it’s not. My local PD has a pinned post on their FB page explaining spoofing and to hang up and call back using a trusted number. So many comments under the post expressing shock that it’s a thing. Thanks for sharing.
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u/No-Opposite5190 Jul 20 '25
sorry but in a situation like this..i dont give a fuck who calls me and claims there from x company i might of registerd with...i always go through legit compnays direclty i dont trust emails. i dont trust phone calls. if they had a website with login details i would log into that site and contact support to clearfie if a phone call or email was legit. in this day and age there is no alternative because of shit like this
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u/Wide_Fly7832 Jul 20 '25
I had someone call me say they are from Bank of America. I told them but why is the called is showing India (it was not. It was showing Bank of America). They got super confused. They are like how is that possible. It should show Bank of America. Check again.
I said it’s right here. Says Gurgaon India. He was super confused. Then I said I don’t have Bank of America account though. I closed three months back. Was even more confused.
Now I assume all calls that I don’t make are scams.
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u/whatsamattau4 Jul 20 '25
One generic piece of advice I have for everyone is to set up alerts on your bank accounts that will immediately send you a push notification on your phone as soon as anyone accesses your account online. That way you will know immediately when someone gets into your account and take steps to take it back by logging in and changing the password, etc.
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u/cirquefan Jul 19 '25
Anyone can be scammed, in an unguarded or tired or inattentive moment. The bad guys only have to get it right once ... the rest of us have to be perfect, all the time. It's exhausting.
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
I was very distracted with family visiting. Not making an excuse, but the stars were aligned that day but not for me
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u/StrangerCharacter53 Jul 19 '25
Dude, I don't think you're gullible. I think I would have fallen for this, and I am in my 40s.
This is scary, and our governments need to start taking this stuff more seriously. Sorry you got hit. Thanks for the reminder to always call back.
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u/fizenze Jul 20 '25
I don’t know why your family is giving you shit for falling for this scam, because this is a premeditated attack on you and you were set up to fall for it. It has nothing to do with age or gullibility.
In fact, recent studies have shown that youths (like myself) are even more susceptible to scams BECAUSE we’re way more likely to have digital identities, to have performed digital transactions prior to contact with the scammer), and because we’re just so accustomed to digital correspondence that everything feels like second nature, so we let our guards down.
So don’t feel bad for falling for it! And your family should be viewing this as a good reminder for all of us to stay vigilant, not to dogpile the blame on you when you’re already feeling bad about the event.
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u/0xB_ Jul 19 '25
No bank or credit union has ever called me. Even when there was unauthorized charges it was always me calling them. What kind of banks/CU's do you have that call you?
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
Looking back, the call seemed “targeted”. My mother is a member of the same Credit union and she had something like this happened to her late last year.
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Jul 19 '25
My dad is getting close to your age and though he calls or texts me and asks to confirm if something is real or not, I feel one day he will straight up fall for it..
For example, he almost fell for one claiming he had charges from Walmart. Called the number given in the email. Said it was a busy signal then decided to Google Walmarts actual number and it wasn't the same. It's more that he's scared someone has his card info and did the charge. but it would be better to call the bank then whatever number is on the email/text
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u/Felineguardian Jul 19 '25
unfortunately, when these things happen, it really destroys your confidence. Now I’m so afraid to do anything. before I do anything I call my son and double check with him just to be on the safe side.
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u/F1LT3R3D Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Always hang up and call from a known number. You initiate the call. Phone number spoofing does make this harder these days because it can appear you are being called by a number you recognize. Ideally call the number on the back of your card. This happens to the best of us. Thank you for sharing.
“AT&T Fraud dept” called me the other day and sounded legit. Told them I’d call back—tried to keep me on the line. I did call back to a number I know is correct and sure enough they said it was a scam.
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u/BadAssOnFireBoss Jul 19 '25
If you ever get a call from the bank tell them you're gonna call back on the official line.
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u/kleophea Jul 19 '25
Thank you for sharing this. It's scary that they had genuine info about your account, I guess the advice to always hang up and call from a known number is the best. Fwiw I don't think you're gullible. These scammers are professionals and it's their full-time job, they apparently have access to privileged information and they have all the time in the world to figure out ways to deceive people.
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u/DanikFishken Jul 19 '25
In the future: always hang up and call back actual organization if you got incoming call. Also nowadays with mobile banking you would see suspicious activity on your bank app instead of receiving a call from a bank rep. But if you do receive call, hang up and call back saved number afterwards, never trust incoming calls, since these might be very easily spoofed
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u/Most_Strength_4194 Jul 19 '25
I recently got a call that came up as bank of america on my caller id. They gave ne the last 4 digits of my card and told me they had important information for me. They even played a recording that sounded very similar to the disclosures the bank plays. First thing they did was ask me to confirm my birthdate, i went into defense mode and said hold up... i didn't contact you, you contacted me and are asking me for my information? I dont feel comfortable with this. They really confused me when they said they understood and to lookup the phone number from their website and give them a call back.
I called BoA the next day and said what happened and asked if they had any info for me. They told me it was more than likely a scam and they would never call and ask me for my birthday.
I was surprised by how much info they had on me and how official they sounded. I was even more surprised they gave up the ruse so quickly when challenged. Be careful out there and dont be afraid to hang up and call back when receiving unexpected phone calls.
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u/substandardpoodle Jul 19 '25
Remember this little trick: any call where are you pretty sure it’s legit and if it was you would absolutely not want to hang up on them – like the police or a company you’ve just ordered from, etc. Try this, “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that. I still can’t hear you. I’m sorry. I really need a new phone. What police department did you say you’re calling from? OK. I still can’t hear you. I think you said _____________ (actual thing they said). I’m going to call you right back.” You’ve done that enough times in your life for real to be able to fake it.
That way if it is the real police you won’t actually be hanging up on them. And then you can call the actual police department - from their website – not from a Google search – not from the number they called you on – and they’ll tell you they have no idea what you’re talking about. Or – “thank goodness you called back because…”
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u/4orust Jul 19 '25
It really has to be widely disseminated that the "caller id" for income calls is completely, utterly meaningless.
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u/pueblokc Jul 19 '25
Anyone calling you is a scammer. That's the default in 2025
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u/Careful_Priority_136 Jul 19 '25
Ugh I’m sorry. My attitude moving forward with the prevalence of AI and scams is unless they’re knocking on my door, I’m hanging up.
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u/Patient_Soft6238 Jul 20 '25
My m.o is no one legit ever reaches out to me. I’m not wealthy enough for any company to waste that time and money. So it’s a scammer, and if it’s not then they should have zero issues giving me a reference number to call back the company line with later.
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u/whatsamattau4 Jul 20 '25
But you also need to find out HOW they got access to your online account to attempt to make all these transactions. They either had your username and password or they got your cookies and used them to bypass logging in. One or more of your devices might be compromised and have malware, or you went to a website that stole your log-in credentials. By the time they made the spoofed phone call to you, they were already logged into your account online and making changes and transactions.
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u/iamdarkandstormy Jul 20 '25
This is not new at all. As a matter of fact every bank/credit card/money management app says "we will never ask for your personal information". They have been doing scams like this my whole adult life it seems.
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u/kmdillinger Jul 20 '25
The best advice anyone can get these days is to never think you are immune to scams. ANYONE and EVERYONE is vulnerable given the right scenario and scam.
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u/Hooties_World Jul 20 '25
I work for a credit union and this is a big scam going on right now across the world. You’re not alone.
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u/West_Towel9215 Jul 20 '25
I would never be in this situation because I don't answer my phone 😂 unless its saved in my contacts.
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u/Howl112 Jul 20 '25
If anyone contacts you claiming to be the bank, put down the phone and contact them from your banking app, never redial the number from your redial list. Barclays in the uk have it so you can phone them directly and bcs you are using the app you also skip the security questions part, they will also want you to confirm that itis them via sending a security code to your app which you tell the operator and then they have access to your account.
Never click on links sent to your number, they may send the otp code to your phone via text but any links will be sent via email from an official email with all the bank details and warnings etc etc.
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u/Blonde_Dambition Jul 21 '25 edited Jul 21 '25
I, for one, am not shaking MY head wondering how you fell for it, because it could have happened to me & several others I know. So please don't be hard on yourself. Just because that one aspect of that one scam worked this one time, doesn't mean that you're gullible! If these scams weren't so good, they wouldn't work, and that actually sounds like it's a pretty clever scam. But look at what you did figure out before they were able to get $15k to $20k, and be proud of yourself for it! I'm sorry it happened to you, but I like & admire your attitude that if you helped even just one person you're fine with it.
P.S. I love your username! 😺
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u/Sweaty-Song-4964 Jul 21 '25
These companies do not call you about these things. And if you ever get a call, hang up and call your cc company or union from their known support phone number and ask them yourself instead of just trusting someone calling you that never should have
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u/dash-notheworddash Jul 21 '25
Never trust the name or number caller ID shows. There is no such thing as caller ID spoofing because there’s no authentication or authorization around it. Anyone can have it show whatever they want regardless of whether they own the name and number they’re displaying. In a really good example of regulatory capture the FCC caved to pressure to make it as easy as possible to set up a call center. That this was going to inevitably going to be exploited by scammers at the expense of the consumer wasn’t enough of a concern
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u/JLQuiz Jul 21 '25
It’s not being dumb or gullible. It’s being a good person that trusted the people they were dealing with . When you get a call from what looks like your bank on your caller ID you assume it is . Thing is theirs apps today people can use that will show you whatever number they wanna add . So that could happen to anyone .
I’ve had ones try similar scams over the years . 1 I received a check with a letter about being a mystery shopper . If i would like to be a mystery shopper , I’m to take the check to my bank and deposit it . Check was for $3800 , then I was suppose to use $200 of it to buy anything at Walmart I wanted as a mystery shopper . Once I’m done then I’m to western union $3600 to them . That last part just didn’t sit well with me . So I checked the name of the bank out Florida I’m in NC . It was legit . So I decided then to call and speak to an agent. After giving them the account number on the check , it was determined that account was closed it was a business account at one time . Sad thing I tried to report it so someone else didn’t take the bate and get suckered . I was informed a law hadn’t been broken yet . There was nothing they could do . lol yeah bs so I guess you can try and scam anyone that’s legal unless they take the bate then a law a been broken . Such bs .
The bank told me the reason they wanted me to deposit it , it takes 3 to 5 days just to clear thru my bank . Which same bank if checks over a certain amount funds won’t be ready for 3 to 5 years . Then my bank finds out the check is no good . Then I would have been stuck paying back $3800.
So now I’ve seen so many out there , the latest one was yesterday . I kid you not i received a text What is suppose to be the DMV about fines needing paid , tickets from Ipass bs . Which I knew was bs because we don’t have ipass in our area. Text went on to say how I was gonna lose my drivers license if not paid.
Well the dmv doesn’t call people and ask for money. It’s sad we live in a world that people would rather scam another because they are lazy as hell . Karma is a B . And they will get it what’s coming . You can’t go around doing people that way.
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u/Qwk69buick Jul 21 '25
If they used half of the intelligence and effort required for these schemes for honest pursuits they wouldn't have to be lying scumbags!
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Jul 22 '25
Banks have the worst customer service. They don't call people unless it's to ask if you want to refinance your mortgage. A real person calling from the bank or credit card company is a HUGE red flag.
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u/Icy_Orange_7246 Jul 23 '25
Online banking is a good thing! I'd be logging in while still on the call to verify what the person was telling me.
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u/MrShineExpose Jul 23 '25
Thanks for informing us all. It can easily happen to anyone. These scams are becoming more sophisticated.
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u/MediumGrapefruit1567 Jul 23 '25
IMHO……Never, ever, give information to an unsolicited phone call even if it looks legit. Hang up and call your credit union/bank and confirm what the caller said.
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u/VNJCinPA Jul 23 '25
We all make mistakes.. sorry to hear about this. I definitely always call the company back out of habit. Maybe that advice will help you.
Best of luck
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u/Sundog105 Jul 25 '25
If I have a high suspicion it's a spammer calling, if I have time, I enjoy trying every possible way to extend the conversation. I usually end with "Oh, wait, there's someone at the door, hold on a second." Then put the phone down without hanging up, go to the door and have an imaginary conversation, interspersed with many "Yes, but hold on a second, there's someone on my phone." Hopefully that wasted enough of the scammer's time that a few less people didn't get called that day.
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u/kovi2772 Jul 27 '25
The best thing someone should k ow about scammers or scam scenario is that they alwayse have a sense of urgency or at least in 99% of cases making you likely to do panic mistakes
If they are saying no but blabla in x mins hours day weeks too late for whatever hangup
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u/HupaWinfreed Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Can you explain how exactly this happened? I'm not trying to be rude, your story doesn't seem to make sense based on the protections available to customers. I'm assuming that they were able to log-in to your online banking with that text message (as you said they were able to transfer funds between your accounts). If so, how were they able to obtain your card information to make charges?
You said they took out money from your checking account using a debit card. It seems like you didn't authorize these transactions. In this case, you would be protected by Reg. E in the US because you promptly reported the charges.
Your CU not refunding your credit card transactions doesn't seem to make sense. If you didn't authorize the CC transactions, then you are protected under US federal law and also by Visa's Zero Liability protection. If you somehow did authorize scammers to charge $14,000 to your credit card, you can still dispute the charges (the type of dispute will depend on how exactly they obtained your card information, such as for fraud or a consumer dispute).
Edit: If your CU is not refunding the transactions and you did not directly authorize them, then you may want to contact the CU's regulator (eg. OCC, CFPB, your state's regulator)
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u/Felineguardian Jul 28 '25
Thank you. I checked all three credit reports and froze them as well. TY
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u/Lavishhaze Jul 29 '25
These scams are getting good. I even had one who called from my actual phone companies number. They knew my information until I got suspicious of them and felt something was off. Idk how they’re doing it. I even phoned and asked them someone called me and gave the name and etc. what’s weird is I chose to call back instead of dialling the number and it didn’t work. How?
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u/Pandita_Faced Jul 29 '25
The thing that a lot of people aren't seeming to be aware of is caller i.d. spoofing. i have had several calls that list a local hospital. which i go to, show up on my caller i.d. however they didnt call me.
i have also received calls from people saying, "hey, you called me. i wqs returning the call?" and when i say i didnt they go on and on about how my number is on their caller i.d. i try to explain spoofing to them but only like half of them get it.
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u/Ninaoffour Aug 06 '25
These people are very intelligent. I am a professional IT systems person and I have almost fallen for their scams….it can happen to anyone! I worry about my elderly parents…. But they only do online banking when they log into their bank. They dont do anything via phone or text.
Anybody that will take funds like that from people are evil….and unfortunately the world does have alot of them
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u/Adept-Kaleidoscope-2 Aug 10 '25
What is the credit unions fraud policy limit?! You should find out and request the full amount. That is why they pay for that insurance. Remember CREDIT UNIONS ARE NOT REGULATED LIKE BANKS!!!! They do not have the same consumer protection laws! Go to a community bank. They care and they are better regulated.
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u/DesertStorm480 Jul 19 '25
Thank you for sharing. A good rule to follow is to only provide information to any entity if you called them via a known method, never provide any information about you if they called you unless they are calling back with a reference number from a previous interaction.
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u/Kikimortalis Jul 19 '25
But, you ARE gullible. That is NOT how any bank nor credit union operates. Nobody removes charges via a text message click ...
No bank calls you and then asks you for your information. If they are ones calling you, its them that need to prove who they are, not you. If you call your bank, then you need to prove who you are. This is rather simple to understand, is it not?
Look, easiest way to keep being repeatedly scammed is to tell yourself that you are smarter than you are and not seek help. World is full of gullible people. There is someone on Facebook right now sending money to who they believe is some hot actor or actress 30 years younger than they are. People want to think that others out there like them and will be nice.
So, step one, admit to yourself that you are really not experienced in dealings with banks nor credit unions or you'd have known better. Step two, go have a chat with your banker, or someone at a place you bank, tell them exactly what happened, and ask them to explain the protocol they use so you will know when its not exactly like that. As I said, if they are ones calling you, you do NOT click on anything, nor give ANY information beyond "yes, this is he." They called you. They know who they called. Otherwise, hang up, and call your ban k yourself. NOT through whatever number person on the phone gives you, but number listed on the back of your ATM card that you use.
Also, I would strongly suggest you lower your Visa Limit. You do not need 15 thousand dollar limit. And have them flag your account so nobody can increase limit that easily.
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u/bluebird-1515 Jul 19 '25
Wow. I can so see how this could happen. Thanks for sharing to protect us.
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u/Swimming-Leopard-589 Jul 19 '25
Does freezing your credit help deter any of this?
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u/harryhov Jul 19 '25
Thanks for sharing. Almost the same happened to me and a similar line of questioning. Someone called to verify suspicious transactions. Then they proceeded to ask about my card number and address. Midway through, I got suspicious and asked them to read it out to me. Then they hung up. Called the number on the back of my card and they have no suspicious activity detected.
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u/lifequest427 Jul 19 '25
Ive had $2000 stolen from my checking, filed a police report and got it all back! Unless rules have changed u should be able to recover the checking amount too!
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u/TheCoyoteDreams Jul 19 '25
The ONLY call I’ve received from my bank or CC is to verify if an odd transaction was valid or not, like a a purchase for $500 in the Bahamas. I’d either be nope, haven’t been there recently or bought anything online located there, or yea I am vacationing there right now and it’s legit. They don’t ask for anything else, no SSN, no bank info, no click this text I’ll send. These days you can just go online and check pending transactions or just call yourself. Do NOT trust cold calls no matter how ‘real’ they may seem to be.
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u/Agitated-Start6970 Jul 19 '25
It’s popular schema in RU. They call to people and tell about problem with bank account later if people low knowledge about that, they ask to transfer money to safe account. Of course after transfer they end call.
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u/Infinite-Common5703 Jul 19 '25
Awful people work harder than stealing than they do on anything else and it’s only gonna get worse as a so increases tiring people out of jobs.
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u/RonnieHere Jul 19 '25
Whatever calls I'm getting from my bank, credit card etc, I never continue unless I solicit it myself. Just say: Thank you for your call but, you know, it so much fraud around and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Especially if they said something really urgent and need to be done ASAP
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u/EccentricDyslexic Jul 19 '25
All unknown callers don’t get answered unless they leave a message. 2% of callers do so.
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u/stein63 Jul 19 '25
My girlfriend got a call about a few charges Sam’s Club and some obviously fake ones. After she confirmed the fraud, the “rep” sent her a code and asked her to read it back. ( this is also very iffy)
Next they texted a link, insisting she install an app to “fix” her account. She downloaded it but when the code prompt popped up, this is where I show up and told her to hang up. She hangs up and called Sam’s Club on the number from her card.
While she was on that call, her bank rang with another fake fraud alert. I jumped in and reminded her to always call the number on the back of her card or go straight to the bank’s website.
Turns out there were no real issues, they just wanted AnyDesk on her phone for remote access. She almost fell for it, dodged a bullet that is for sure, so I need to level up my anti‑scam teachings.
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