It all started with a text message from someone who claimed to be a representative from Tim Scott's bank.
"It said, ‘Did you authorize a purchase through Zelle for $3,500?’ And then it said type ‘Y’ for Yes or ‘N’ for No," Tim recalls. He typed ‘N’ and immediately received a phone call.
The person on the other end sounded professional and said all the right things, telling Tim that his account had been hacked and he needed to send himself three payments through Zelle to get his money back.
"Essentially they started the whole thing by trying to help me out of being scammed, but really they were scamming me,” Tim explains.
Following the instructions given by the caller, Tim initiated the Zelle transfers. The scammer reassured him that this process was necessary to secure his account and reverse the unauthorized transaction. The caller remained on the line, guiding Tim step-by-step, making it seem like the bank was directly involved in protecting his money.
However, each time Tim sent a payment, it didn't go to his account as promised. Instead, the money was rerouted directly to the scammer's account. The sophistication of the scam made it difficult for Tim to realize what was happening in real time.
By the end of the call, Tim had sent three separate payments, totaling $1,800, to the scammer. It wasn't until he checked his bank statement later that he realized the payments had not returned to his account but were instead stolen.
"I thought I was protecting myself, but I ended up losing $1,800,” Tim says. "It’s a terrible feeling knowing that someone tricked you into giving them your hard-earned money."
This experience highlights the importance of verifying any unsolicited communication from financial institutions and being cautious about following instructions that involve transferring money.