WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Scammers are increasingly impersonating bank employees, leaving innocent victims devastated and, in some cases, out of their life savings.
Cindy Burns, of Winter Springs, recounts how it all began with a simple text message.
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“Your photos, data, bank information, and cards are at risk,” the message warned.
It claimed there was a suspicious charge to her Apple account and a sign-in request.
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The text urged her to speak with an Apple representative immediately to cancel the charge.
When she called, the scammers convinced her that her bank account had been compromised and that she needed to withdraw her money.
Burns says she didn’t feel suspicious at all.
“I didn’t. He was so convincing. I believed what he was telling me,” she said, adding that she feels “completely violated, taken advantage of beyond anything I could have dreamed of.”
Burns made two withdrawals, one for just under $9,000 and another for just over $6,000.
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Through social engineering, the crooks persuaded her to convert the $15,000 to Bitcoin, which she unknowingly sent directly to them.
“What was I thinking? Departing with all my money that I could just hand it over like that, but I did,” she said.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $12.8 billion to fraud last year, with imposter scams ranking as the third-highest category.
“Everybody is susceptible to a social engineering scam,” said Roger Grimes, a cybersecurity expert and author of numerous books on the topic.
He emphasized the importance of not underestimating the power of social engineering, which involves building trust and manipulating individuals to divulge personal information.
“I just think that if you get hit at the right moment in your life with the right type of scam, that we’re all susceptible to something, even though we thought we were not,” Grimes warned.
To protect yourself, experts offer these tips:
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If you receive a text claiming to be from your bank or a company you do business with, do not call the number in the text.
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Instead, find the number independently and verify if there is a problem with your account.
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If someone calls claiming to be from your bank, hang up and call the bank yourself.
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If anyone ever asks you to convert money to cryptocurrency, experts say there is a good chance it’s a scam.
“You can’t trust anything that comes over your phone. You just can’t. There are too many scams out there,” Burns cautioned.
Remember, don’t fall for the scheme and don’t get ripped off, but if you do, email me at LBolden@wkmg.com.