I-Team: Retired Duluth couple loses life savings to phone scammers 

That's why I dont answer the phone. EVER! 😮

There is immense pain in losing a large amount of money but to garner courage to speak about it says a lot about the person’s great character.

How many times does this have to happen. Don’t call any number. When in doubt go to your local bank and speak to a representative there.

She needed to speak with Chase directly. I never call some number on a text message.

There must be bank employees colluding with fraudsters outside the bank to obtain the victim's account information and balance to commit fraud

Never ever leave that much money in a checking account, most of that money should have been in a savings account with no card attached

Why didnt Chase notify them of a suspicious transaction, like with the strawberries that were under $100?!?!.... And Chase has the nerve NOT to refund their money?!?!! Wtf

Don’t speak with people who called you. Go to your local bank.

Probably somebody working for Chase. They should sue the bank.

This sounds like an inside job

CHASE is the WORSE. 🚫

Sounds like inside bank job

Same thing happened to my in laws. EXCEPT a local bank employee knew them personally and called them RIGHT before the transaction went thru.

I never pick up any call I don't already have saved. After 10 years scammers don't even bother calling me anymore. Cause they know I won't pick up.

Moral: never do business with Chase Bank.

Chase give them their money. That's what insurance is for. Sounds like inside job. Who is the person with the Wells Fargo account? Arrest them.

They target the elderly. Our parents are in their 70-80s and constantly targeted by scams.

Never put all of your life savings in one account. Had they put roughly $10,000 into 5 different banks or credit unions, they would still have $40,000 instead of being out of the whole $49,000.

Who talks to anyone on the phone? Don't do business over a phone ever

Stop doing business with Chase!! Also just leave a small amount in your checking account and move the rest to your emergency fund in a high yield savings account at a different bank and invest the rest. The scammers seem to be going after Chase, BOA, and Wells Fargo customers. So sorry this happened to you.

How do these scammers know that this couple banked at Chase bank? How did they get their info.

I don’t respond to call, emails or text from nobody. Period 😂

This is so sad! The banks can’t even protect you or even trace where the money went. How sad these are older folks who saved for retirement smh! Chase and all banks need to do better!

Don't answer the phone.

Something doesn't make sense with this story. The scammers simply called and said that they were deactivating the card? They didn't ask anything else, and it took them twenty minutes to say this? If the scammers didn't need any additional information, why did the scammers even bother calling? I think what probably happened was that the scammers probably ordered a password reset and asked for the verification code.

$100 for chocolate covered strawberries is a scam 😅

It’s always Chase bank, they always have scams happening. I would never ever bank with them

The key lesson for everyone is don't call - go directly to your Bank in person...speak to the Manager and have them investigate there. Talking to someone on the phone is risky- especially if they are calling you. Going to the Bank directly may be inconvenient but if could save you tens of thousands of dollars.

They record her voice using A.I and then they call using her voice to verify the wire transfer !

Chase owes them. Period.

Always always just say you will go into the bank. Never never speak to anyone over the phone.

Chase should make wire transfers, zelle, venmo, etc., a paid opt-in option. The process of opting in should include an hour-long SAT style test to prove you're smarter than a scammer. Scammers won't wait for an hour for you to turn on access to your account.

They need a gofundme that’s messed up CHASE won’t help them.

It isn’t the case that “anyone” would have been scammed. You DO NOT RESPOND TO UNSOLICITED COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT. EVER. If you get a message you call the number on the BACK OF YOUR CARD DIRECTLY. 😖😖😖 People ARE aware. We should be digital. But you have to be smart. Period.

Never keep more then $2000 in any account.

Seems like a inside job to me. Chase probably got that money

she says the modern scammers is slick enough to take anyone of us with a single phone call? I highly doubt that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Never accept a call from a bank or other authority. Hang up, look up the real number, and call them directly yourself.

I work in Fraud at a bank and I have spoken to the scammers. I will send a text to verify and they will put me on hold to speak to the actual card holder to get the text. I tell the scammer to step into a bank then they disconnect while I block the account. Keep in mind these banks don’t pay these employees a livable wage. You can tell 98 percent of the time you’re talking to a scammer

She provided them that One-time security code that she received in that text message thats how they got access to her bank account

Sorry that happened. However also do not keep big chunks of money in accounts that's accessed electronically. It's better to lose some than all. I keep my main account old school. When I need money in my bill paying accounts I have to go to the brick n mortar bank and actually take a handwritten withdrawal. I have a debit card to it. But it's not linked to anything. That debit card stays in a shoe box in the closet. Like my mamma said if man built it. Man can break it. There is no such thing as man proof. These banks, and every company From your power bill to your streaming service wants automated access to your bank account. Leaving everyone vulnerable to these cyber attacks. And then they give us a false sense of security with these stupid alerts. Ok so now the scammers are using the alerts,now the scammers are calling like bank reps. None of these are protection. It's false. The best protection is minimize access and no access to the big money account.

It's so sad what's going on today. You are afraid to answer the phone in this world. Even if it is a potential job. You are afraid of answering the phone. Even calling that potential employer back it may be risky.

Thanks for sharing this story.

Why does the tv reporter start the segment with a smile?

I don't care if they don't want me in the "brick & mortar", that's where I go to do ALL my banking, no matter how small the amount! I do this because I have ZERO, YES ZERO banking, or credit card or ANYTHING at all in regards to ANY of my finances on my phone! This is the only way to 100% guarantee scammers can't get at my money! I have a very sizeable retirement savings, investments etc. and I'll be damned if ANY of it is on my phone, period. My phone is strictly a communication device, NOT a gateway for scammers. As well, I NEVER answer any calls or text unless it's my wife or a friend.

I’m a little fuzzy on the steps taken to go from phone call to account access when no personal information was given.

Rite. The scammer just pulled the information out of their arse. Harry Potter. Rite.

I bet she gave them that card number. They probably didn’t mention it.

Miami here. Same thing happened to me.

Don’t do any online banking or over the phone!When you deposit your money tell them everything is in branch period!NO PHONE CALLS!

Never do business over the phone. Always go to the bank personally

Scammer, steal from anyone who will believe their lies. The victim could be young, old, of any ethnicity, of any income bracket.

I know you can take care of many things over the phone but this one , put the phone down and get into your car and get to the Bank.

When in doubt.... Don't call them. SEE THEM IN PERSON!!! Face to Face, or a RECORDED VIDEO CALL.

Joe Biden and Congress when are you going to stop this foolishness?

Yeah a couple days ago someone seemed professionally speaking called my phone and asked me to hold on for a representative and then hung up and this isn't the first time it used to happen on a regular So I just turned my phone off for a hour I also called the number back and it was out of order. The scammers are slicker than oil

I don't answer phone numbers I don't recognize! When in doubt, call your bank directly!

I'm glad my 82 yr old mom, who's now in a nursing home, never got into modern tech. Just Spectrum cable & a landline. I now keep guard of my bank account & our joint account, cut up her CC and keeps the checks safe. Only a matter of time until the state takes their lion's share.

I Had many texts it said from Chase But I didn’t replied Just went to the bank itself and they said that’s not from them , all I can say just verify in person Not online or phone

Kudos to you, *GrindTechiei* , for your outstanding work ethic and confidence. Your handling of the inquiries and collections has been superb. Your efficiency and organizational skills are truly remarkable

The interviewers comment that there is no extra in that house- well, yeah, that is a VERY nice house!

I’m not blaming these folks because I don’t have all the facts but I disagree, the banks don’t “push” online banking. My mom is in her 70’s and had yet to use online banking and continues to walk in to her credit Union for all her banking needs.

Never keep that much cash in a checking account. 😢

Keep your money in a savings deposit box

It’s always Chase bank 😂. It’s time to tell our families stop using Chase.

As many have said , when it comes to any financial issues, go in personally to the financial establishment offices. Never, ever, rely upon electronic communications in any form. Ironically, they ( emails and phone) are always the weakest form of financial transactions. And the very Financial institutions know this!

If customers are easy to rob, then hackers don't try to rob the bank.

Why do people keep falling for thieves and liars? Get Smart people!

I love when REAL hackers destroy these type of scammers. Especially the fake microsoft, IRS and card services scammers.

retirees need to work with their children to keep them safer. simply so many ways to way to scam older people that didn't exist decades ago

These banks don't care anything about you.... but want you to use thier services Smh

Set up my Chase credit card and checking/debit card to send me a notification if there's a $0.01 transaction. Basically, I get notified for every transaction that occured on my cards.

I never answer the phone. That's what voice mail is for. Most scammers won't bother with voice mail because they want to get you on the phone. That's not to say some won't though. Best thing to do is call the number on the back of your debit card.

Her SIM was clearly cloned. That’s how Chase could call it and get the scammer who verifies the illegitimate transfer. The verification code they had her provide unlocked her account on their cloned SIM phone.

They needed their family involved.

the bank KNOWS what account the money went to - why can't they claw it back? If the bank made an error in the client's favor, you can bet they would get it back.

Just don't pick up the phone. Let your answering machine take care of that.

That’s why you never click links even though it has the same numbers as your card etc. Go directly to your bank and ask if there has been any activity on your account or if any of your accounts has been compromised or let them know of your account has been flagged by your own banks fraud department. They can look anything up in their own systems and explain to them the text you received and they should be able to tell you if they send these types of texts to you or if this something banks never send out - that’s what I would do.

Just awful. This should not happen TO ANYONE!

Is it me or does it seem like Chase Bank and its customers are the preferred scam target of scammers? Chase Bank’s name always comes up in these type cases.

Would never bank with chase, and then 750.00 😂😂😂 WF need to stop what they gone do with that? Can't wait for the FBI to catch these people. Has to be people who work for chase that gives the scammers ligit info

No password, no social, no personal information, how did it happen? Something is missing.

Any bank is not responsible for one’s ignorance.

I never do online banking. In person only. People are too trusting.

I dont answer phone unless is on my contacts list. I wish the media will spend more time reminding people that banks, IRS, or Social Security office does not call you.

hmmm... approve wire transfer to an account then tell the bank it was a scam to get reimbursed. seems a bit fishy

She gave some info I’m sure but her mistake was not going on the app and checking things out or going to her bank in person to look into it, NEVER answer a call or text or clink on any link. They weren’t hip to scams and they got caught, it happens. Always be skeptical.

If your not on my contact list it goes straight to voicemail; if you don't leave a message then you may not get a call back; it is also important to lock your debit cards unless you are using it; it only takes a sec to unlock on your phone: I also have it where my credit cards notify me for all charges on my phone. Hopefully all the security measures work.

My question is I have a sizable amount of money in my account how did I receive a large request for funds. Someone in the bank is in on this

Never answer text or phone calls from your bank or any other company never ever. Do not ever answer or click on any measage about anything thats how they get you!!!!!!

what part of "never give his code to anybody" isn't 100% clear?

Maybe they forgot to mention some details but I still can't understand how they gave out any information that allowed the scam to happen. Totally confused.

Send in the Bee Keeper

My mom who is recently widowed (my dad passed in Dec) received the same message last month, (double checked and yup it was fraud) I told her to ignore it. Case closed.

This is all happening so frequently now. Can't the banks put a halt to such quick wire transfers for large amounts?

I would sue chase. Official chase does the same thing. Chase asked me for my code too. It was legit chase though since I called them.

This doesn't add up. She gave scammers some info. If not, there would have been no need for them to call. They could have taken the money anytime without talk8ng to her.

Chase needs to tighten up their security!!

Damn smh 🤦🏽‍♂️

My red flag is foreign accent. That seems racist but every incident that I have heard about involves a perpetrator who obviously does not have English as their first language