Kathy Egan
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Be careful! There is a new scam going around. Scammers are tricking people into providing bank account information and then draining the victims' bank account.
The scam goes something like this: the innocent person receives a phone call or a text message that seems legitimate and claims there is a problem with the computer or cell phone. The caller or text message provides a phone number to call to receive assistance determining what the problem is and how to correct it.
Once the con artist has you on the phone, he convinces you to download an app onto your phone. The app gives the bad guy access to everything on your phone, and then he asks for your debit card number so he can add a small sum to your bank account and then remove the same amount. He is skilled and will try hard to make this sound normal and routine. It is not!
Before you know it, your money is gone! A person's checking account can be completely drained before they realized what was happening. Some financial institutions will return the money to your account, others will not. So getting your money returned may not ever happen, and if your bank does have a policy of returning fraudulently-debited funds, it can take a long time to get that money back.
Remember, don't provide any personal information to anyone who calls you, including your debit card number or PIN. Don't just call a phone number; instead, look up the phone number of the place you want to call and use their published contact information. Don't give anyone you don't know access to your phone or computer. Guard your phone and computer just like you guard your home or wallet.