A North Carolina woman lost nearly $6,000 after scammers allegedly impersonated her credit union and convinced her to hand over access to her bank account.
Durham resident Mindy Songer reported receiving a call that appeared to come from the State Employees’ Credit Union, leading her to believe she was speaking with legitimate bank representatives.
The caller informed Songer that someone had accessed her account and was attempting to steal $3,000. Believing she was assisting the credit union in stopping the fraudulent activity, Songer provided her account login information. She later discovered that the individuals were scammers who used her details to move money from her bank account into her connected Cash App account, subsequently transferring the funds to accounts under their control.
Songer stated that the fraudsters ultimately took $5,900. She initially believed the financial institution had halted the theft after flagging suspicious activity, only to later learn the funds had been successfully taken.
After reporting the incident to the State Employees’ Credit Union, Cash App, and local police, Songer was informed she would not be reimbursed because she had personally provided her account information to the scammers.
Both the State Employees’ Credit Union and Cash App maintain warnings for customers regarding impersonation schemes, where criminals manipulate caller ID information to make fraudulent communications appear as though they originate from legitimate financial institutions. Similar tactics can also be deployed via text messages.
