Think you would never fall for a bogus phone call? One victim is now warning about how easy it is to be taken in by an impersonator call.
Lynn, an Ohio woman who asked that we not reveal her full name, said she received an urgent phone call from a number that showed up on caller ID as the local sheriff's office.
"Immediately, I thought something maybe was wrong, like something happened to my husband or my son," Lynn said.
The caller told Lynn she missed jury duty, and there was a warrant for her arrest.
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Lynn thought the call was a joke, but every time she questioned the caller, she was threatened with fines and arrest.
"Every five minutes he came back on the phone and made sure I was there," she said.
Lynn followed instructions sent to her via text message, a telltale sign of a scam.
"Over text they sent me the copy of the warrant. It had my name on it. They told me I needed to withdraw $9,100," Lynn said.
She withdrew the money and, according to the instructions, deposited it into a local Bitcoin ATM, losing over $9,000 in an instant.
Watch as a woman shows how she ended up losing thousands to an impersonator call:
"They even said, 'this does look like a scam.' They brought it up and kept manipulating my mind," Lynn said. "I was so upset, I wasn't thinking clearly."
Protect yourself from impersonation scams
Ryan Lippe, a consumer educator with the Ohio Attorney General's Office, said impostor scams are the most reported type of fraud by volume.
"People posing as Social Security, people posing as Medicare, people posing as the IRS," Lippe said.
These schemes often start with a phone call, text or email, with the goal of convincing the victim to send money right away.
The most telling red flag: Urgency.
"If they're giving you 45 minutes to come up with $2,100, that is a tactic they use to catch you flat-footed," Lippe said. "That's a tactic they use to put that pressure on you, to put that lock on you, so they have your attention."
The Better Business Bureau advises anyone who thinks they are dealing with an impostor to follow these steps:
- Stay calm
- Resist the urge to act immediately
- Verify contact information
- Do not feel pressured to share personal information
- Get a second opinion, even if the person on the phone instructs you not to tell anyone
The organization recommends calling the person or company on another line, never responding directly to a call, text or email.
And remember, impostor scams occur when a scammer pretends to be a trustworthy organization or agency, such as law enforcement.
"They put the sergeant on. They used a lot of lingo that you would expect from lawyers, or police. It sounded very official," Lynn said.
If you already sent money to potential scammers, Lippe said contact your bank and the wire transfer service immediately.
"Time is of the essence to be able to try to save any part of those funds that you've sent through crypto, gift card, MoneyGram, Western Union, things like that " Lippe said.
Lynn is sharing her story with the hope she can help others avoid a huge financial loss.
"I just want other people to know to go with your gut," Lynn said. "I just knew something was not right."
Take her advice, so you don't waste your money.
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