A new twist on a banking fraud is becoming more common: thieves will attempt to obtain your debit card’s personal identification number, or PIN, and they could even advise you to place it in your own mailbox.
Jack Batz, a Bradley University student in Peoria, lost about $10,000 at first after being duped into surrendering his physical debit card and PIN.
A possible con artist was seen on camera taking Batz’s card out of his mailbox.
“It’s shocking,” Batz said. “It’s not something you expect that would happen.”
Prior to placing his own debit card in his mailbox, Batz started getting phony texts and phone calls from individuals posing as Chase Bank employees. According to Batz, they informed him that there was fraudulent activity related to a Texas transaction on his account.
Batz claimed that the narrative was credible because the con artists were aware of every element of his account, including recent transactions. After that, the con artists instructed him to put his debit card in the mailbox and deactivate the card. To “protect” his accounts, he was persuaded to divulge his PIN.
A Waukegan police complaint states that around $9,300 was taken out of a Chase Bank located on Fountain Square Place in Waukegan. Screenshots from banks and the police report both show that some withdrawals came from the ATM. But a significant sum of $8,400 was pilfered from the bank; that is, a teller gave the burglars Batz’s money without Batz’s official identification.
“Even if you do have a PIN number, it seems like there needs to be more barriers to security,” Batz said.
Chase did not respond to those allegations but provided the I-Team with a warning about scammers.
“We urge all consumers to ignore phone, text or internet requests for money or access to their computer or bank accounts. Legitimate companies won’t make these requests, but scammers will,” Chase said in a statement.
Batz said Chase refunded him most of money before the I-Team reached out. After the I-Team got involved, Chase refunded the remaining ATM withdrawals.
Batz said he learned a lesson.
“Go to your bank and ask specifically for this information,” Batz said. “Or go into your app and contact the correct authorities.”
Always go to your bank’s app or the bank’s website independently.
According to Chase, call your bank with the number on the back of your debit card if you get a text alert about fraud. Additionally, never give a PIN to anyone who calls you.
More tips from Chase:
– Never click on suspicious links in a text or email, or grant anyone remote access to your phone or computer.
– Banks will never call, text or email asking you to send money to yourself or anyone else to prevent fraud. If you get this request, do not respond.
– Be on the lookout when someone pretends to be someone you know, such as the IRS or Social Security Administration. Scammers might make up a name that sounds official or say they’re calling on behalf of a loved one.
– Scammers will also pressure you to act immediately or ask you to pay through payment apps, wire transfer or gift cards. Some will even send you a fake check and ask you to deposit it and send the money.
