The FBI is warning Americans to be wary of scammers who are using bank phone numbers to defraud people out of thousands of dollars.
FBI officials told Chicago-based TV stations ABC 7 and Fox Business that “banking spoof call” scams involve people hiding their real number so that caller ID displays a financial institution’s contact information.
According to the agency, these schemes are designed to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, which then allows the scammers to transfer money to different accounts under the guise of a bank representative.
One victim told ABC 7 she lost $40,000 when someone called from a number matching the number on the back of her Chase debit card, convincing her she needed to transfer her money to a “safe” account.
“They read my account number,” he told the news outlet. “They reduced my account balance to less than a penny.”
How to avoid fraud
The FBI advises people to do the following to avoid scams:
- Set up two-factor or multi-factor identification on your accounts
- Check the email address and URL, and pay attention to misspellings or anything that seems out of the ordinary
- Do not click on unsolicited links sent in emails or text messages
The FBI also stressed that companies will not ask for your username or password.
“We urge all consumers to ignore phone, text or internet requests to transfer money or gain access to their computers or bank accounts,” Chase Bank told ABC7. “Banks and legitimate companies will not make these requests, but scammers will.”
Anyone who has experienced a possible spoofing or phishing scam should report it online to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.