Phone Scam Costs Clayton Couple More Than $12,000
CLAYTON, N.C. — A Johnston County couple lost more than $12,000 after falling victim to a sophisticated telephone scam in which the caller falsely claimed to be a federal investigator.
According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the couple received a phone call from someone identifying themselves as an investigator with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
The caller claimed fraudulent charges had been made on the victims’ bank account, including a $2,000 transaction in Pensacola, Florida, and a $100 charge in Clayton. The caller then allegedly convinced the couple their local bank was involved in the fraud and instructed them to withdraw all of the money from their accounts.
Investigators said the scammer also persuaded the victims to obtain a cash advance on one of their credit cards.
Before realizing they had been deceived, the couple had lost a total of $12,016.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
Authorities remind residents that banks and federal agencies will never instruct customers to withdraw their money or move funds to a “safe account”. Anyone receiving an unexpected call requesting money transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or large cash withdrawals should hang up and contact their financial institution directly using a verified phone number.
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Remember, these people are probably allowed to vote and drive on the same roads we do! Be cautious people.
Being able to vote and drive a car has nothing to do with this. I know it seems ludicrous people would continue to fall for these things, but some people are not as well versed as others and I’ll bet they may have even thought once they wouldn’t fall for such a thing. I got an email just today that almost had me convinced it was legit, but ultimately decided to play it safe and ignore it on my company email. As it turns out, it was a simulated attack from my company testing my responsiveness and thankfully I passed. I do wish there were better ways to protect people as some of these losses are tremendously damaging.
I completely disagree that this has nothing to do with voting or driving a car. The original comment was correct in my opinion. Common sense is what is lacking in the people that fall for these scams. That same lack of common sense causes people to blindly follow political rhetoric without studying and becoming informed. That same lack of common sense causes people to stare at a cellphone screen and drive into other vehicles on the road. Personal responsibility and common sense are woefully lacking in today’s society. These scams are far from sophisticated if you actually possess common sense. I was part of an organization that randomly tested its employees with scam emails and was privy to the results of those tests. I was rarely surprised to see the list of people that fell for the scams. They were almost always the ones you would expect.
Spot on, absolutely no common sense, diminishing self respect. Wake up people, some things you got to do for yourself.
I have no sympathy. To me it sounds like the victims are the scammers.
Totally agree, Lori!
Yeah like class warfare and wanting more tax dollars when they lose much to fraud and spend it on crap. We already spend 67% yearly on social programs. 8% on defense. I voted for mass deportations. After what Biden did it made rents, housing prices, everything more expensive. The inflation act he passed made inflation 10x worse. Every democrat voted for it and it spent a trillion on democrats agendas. Like climate crap.
Being able to vote has absolutely everything to do with stuff like this. You say maybe they arent well versed in this sort of stuff. Probably arent well versed in the electoral process either. And maybe the rules of the road. I feel sorry for them but jeez, come on, empty your bank account and get a cash advance?
It must really be tough making all the right decisions and being perfect.
It is not tough or perfect to use common freaking sense. Everyone is born with it, some just choose not to utilize it. There is so much information about these scams and it’s just very disappointing that some people don’t heed the warnings. The longer people choose to get scammed, the longer the scammers will continue to scam. It’s easy money for them.
Come on ppl, wake up! Too many scams to be answering the phone to someone you don’t even know and giving out information. Go directly to your bank and inquire. I feel for everyone but you have to really not just fall victim to these scams, they are happening everyday, everywhere to everyone. Do not send any money or information out over the phone or Internet.
Sorry this happened but it makes you question seriously how stupid are people when would a bank EVER tell you to withdraw money to a gift card!!!!!
Not sure where the “stupid” term you used should be applied but nowhere in this article do I see where they were instructed to put money into gift cards. A credit card was mentioned, however.
THE FEDS NEVER CALL YOU!!! They just show up with a no-knock warrant & kick your door in. Lol. Good rule of thumb, if they have an Indian accent, they are SCAMMERS!
Do these people not know how to simply check the bank account before removing any money. You don’t need to trust the bank for that. There are too many bank apps and a 800 number on the back of your bank card. Just call and confirm whether any money has been taken from your account. I have all of my accounts, bank and credit cards, setup with alerts whenever money is taken out or put in my account. At some point, common sense needs to be applied.