I got scammed 😭

So today (Wednesday), I got scammed. Like many people before me, I fell for a trick worthy of it’s name.

I thought I would share this with you all so you are forewarned and therefore can prevent it happening to you.

I received a message from my phone provider, which isn’t anything new because I get them all the time, saying they couldn’t take payment for this month for my contract and that I needed to go and fix. So, I logged in and fixed it. Little did I know, there was nothing wrong with the payments for my phone contract.

This afternoon, I got a call from a guy claiming to be from my bank’s fraud department, saying that my mobile banking had been accessed by an unknown device located in Birmingham. Did I know about that?? Absolutely not!!! He went on to tell me I needed safe guard my accounts and that if I didn’t they wouldn’t be liable for any money lost.

He told me I needed to move the money into a secure account so the person who accessed my account couldn’t take any of it… The irony of the situation, I know!!!

I should of known there that it was hinky.. Why would the bank tell me to move money instead of just freezing the account? These guys are so slick and good at this, even when I expressed concerns he had me 100% convinced. So I transferred the money into this secure account, and he gave me sign in details and said I had an appointment at the bank the next day to go over the bank details and get the memorable information to log into the account online.

Well you guessed it, when I called the bank to confirm the time of the appointment, they had no record of it. The branch of my bank that I use have the most amazing employees and they gave me the number for the ACTUAL fraud department. After an hour on the phone with them (and A LOT of crying), an investigation has been launched and I will be going into the branch tomorrow to close the accounts and start new ones and talk to them about the investigation and refund of the money lost.

Always remember, your bank will NEVER ask you to move your money to another account because of a possible breach. Your service provider don’t text you about a missed payment or payment issues. If you are at all concerned hang up and call your bank or go into the branch and speak to them directly. I would hate for any of you to experience the devastation of loosing ALL your money and feeling like chump for getting taken for an idiot. This is why I wanted to share my experience with you so you know what to look out for.

Until next time (hopefully a happier story)…