It Could Happen to You
April 01, 2021
PayPal texted me last week to check on a $499 iPad purchase that had been charged to my account. They asked me to call and confirm the purchase. And I did call to inform them that I had made no such purchase.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t PayPal who had texted me, but some incredibly talented, experienced scammers.
I have recognized scam calls in the past. I never give my social security number over the phone and usually don’t even answer the phone if I don’t recognize the person calling. But a text? It fooled me. And the offer to put the money back in my checking account? What was I thinking (or not thinking) to allow that?
When I met with the vice-president of our bank to close that account, he told me that this type of scam is growing by leaps and bounds, and many people have lost enormous amounts of money. Fortunately, that didn’t happen to me.
I share this embarrassing episode so that maybe others won’t make a similar mistake.
Consider this a public service announcement.
Judy, this definitely is a public service announcement. You are not alone. these scammers are wicked. I always felt that I was too aware to be scammed this way until I received a fake call from my grandson. The conversation with him and a fake lawyer appeared so real that I felt 95% that it was true. I withdrew $7500 from my account and the 5% of me that was wary made the decision to speak to the young man in charge at my local bank. He knew me from years and years of personal transactions. He listened and wrote out a deposit slip, said to give him the money and he put it back into my account. The famous "grandparent scam" ... tugs at the heart, but it is never true!
Posted by: Mamou | April 01, 2021 at 08:09 AM