A Huntington Bank customer lost $9,000 after a fraudster impersonating a bank employee convinced her to transfer money at a branch while she was traveling out of state.
The caller identified herself as Huntington Bank employee Ellen Caldwell and told the customer that her account had been compromised by fraudulent activity. The phone number displayed appeared to belong to Huntington Bank, and the caller instructed the customer to move money through Zelle or wire transfer.
The customer visited a Huntington branch in another state and completed two transfers totaling $9,000—one to Bank of America and one to PNC Bank. The customer later verified that the phone number she called back belonged to Huntington Bank and that the caller had called the number again while standing outside the branch.
The customer noted that her account had been compromised previously in May and September, and said she should have received earlier notification of the fraud attempts.
Similar scams have been reported against Huntington Bank customers in the Cleveland area and other parts of the country. The customer is working with a Huntington branch in Saginaw to recover the funds.
A Huntington Bank spokesperson said the bank cannot comment on individual accounts but stated that it "takes fraud concerns seriously and carefully reviews every reported instance based on the facts and circumstances involved." The bank advised customers never to share passwords or sensitive financial information and to verify unexpected requests before sending money.
