By Barbara Pierce
“Now go into Target and buy gift cards with the $5,000 you just withdrew,” the nice man with an East Indian accent instructed me over my cell phone as I parked in the Target lot.
There I was in the Target lot, following the instructions of this nice, seemingly helpful young man who claimed to be an employee of my bank. He had guided me to go to my bank, withdraw $5,000 and go to Target.
“Why would I buy Target gift cards?” I questioned. “I don’t even shop at Target and I don’t want a bunch of gift cards!”
“The cards will be useless tomorrow,” he responded. “Then we can restore the funds to your bank account. I’m helping you get your funds back,” he continued. “But you have to do what I say so that we can restore your funds. The hackers have gotten into your account and they are putting your money into child pornography. You don’t want that on your record, I’m sure. So you do need to do what I say.”
Now I was fairly sure I was been scammed. Several times during the past four hours, I had questioned this to myself. Now I was fairly sure. For confirmation, I called my daughter, who works in a bank.
“You’re definitely being scammed!” she quickly said after hearing my plight. “Go right back to your bank and tell them what’s going on.”
Back at my bank, the manager confirmed “Yes, you’re being scammed.” Fortunately, the hackers hadn’t gotten into my account, so all is well.
However, I’m left feeling so vulnerable, so inadequate to protect myself from assault.
Several times during the hours it was going on, I said to myself, “This doesn’t feel right. Could this be a scam?” Several red flags I stupidly ignored.
How It Started
It started when I clicked on Facebook messenger. On my screen a warning appeared, declaring itself Microsoft, stating, “You have been infected with a virus! We here at Microsoft will help you! Call us to help you through it.” A lot of exclamation points, conveying a sense of urgency.
I’ve had that screen appear before. The first time I did call and they wanted about $200 before they would help, so I recognized that was a scam. The next few times, I just turned off the power on my laptop and the screen went away.
But this time, I called them. They didn’t ask for money to make the virus go away. So I thought it was for real. The helpful person said “Yes, hackers are trying to get into your bank account, but we’ll help you stop this from happening. We’ll be in touch with your bank. Your bank will call you.”
My phone rang. The caller ID showed it was my bank. The helpful man claiming to be a bank representative talked me through a long process until I finally woke up in the Target parking lot. He kept telling me things like, “I’m here to help you. We’ll contact the FBI once we get your money back for you. You need to work with me on this and do what I say.”
What an idiot I was for not listening to my instincts! How could I have been so naïve and trusting?
Next day, I heard on the news that there has been a 400% increase in scams. Perpetrators have perfected their techniques using AI. AI is changing the landscape. For 99% of the victims, there is no way to recover the lost funds. Older folks are more often the target as we’re more trusting.
Some tips to protect yourself:
• Be skeptical of any unsolicited personal contact, phone calls, emails, social media.
• Don’t respond to high pressure tactics. Slow it down: Scammers often create a sense of urgency so that they can bypass your better instincts. Take time and ask questions to avoid being rushed into a bad situation. Listen to your instinct.
What a scammer might say: “You need to act fast. If you don’t make a payment now, we’ll be forced to take legal action against you.”
• Verify. Double check the details you’re getting. If you get an unexpected phone call, hang up. Then look up the bank, agency or organization that’s supposedly calling and get in touch directly.
• Stop! Don’t send money. No reputable person or agency will ever demand payment on the spot. Often, scammers will insist that you can only pay by buying gift cards, using cryptocurrency, wiring money, using a payment ap. If the payment feels fishy, it probably is. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
• Act quickly if something feels wrong: Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information.
• Seek help and report the scam: When you report scams, you help stop the scam and warn others.
Barbara Pierce is a retired licensed clinical social worker with many years of experience helping people. If you would like to purchase a copy of her book, “When You Come to the Edge: Aging” or if you have questions for her, contact her at barbarapierce06@yahoo.com.