A Houston woman thought she was protecting her money when she received a fraud alert text. Instead, she lost everything.<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 A Houston woman says a scam so convincing it appeared to come from her bank, and the FBI, ended with her entire life savings gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diane Fendley says it started with what looked like a routine fraud alert text message. The text claimed to be from the Wells Fargo Fraud Department and asked if she had attempted a charge at Walmart. When Fendley replied \u201cno,\u201d she says the messages quickly escalated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were telling me that they were doing an investigation on this branch, that there\u2019s been fraud for the last three months. They told me I needed to get to the bank and take care of my money,\u201d Fendley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon after, Fendley received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the FBI. The caller told her that her Wells Fargo branch was under investigation and even sent her a letter on official FBI letterhead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said they wanted me to pull out $20,000,\u201d Fendley said. That was her life savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fendley says the scammers kept her on the phone as she went to the bank, moved the money from her savings account into checking, and withdrew the cash. Then, they instructed her to cross the street to a Chase Bank.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said, \u2018Now we need you to go to Chase Bank and don\u2019t go into the bank. Just go through the drive\u2011through,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Fendley, the scammers opened a Chase account, added it to her digital wallet, and gave her a four\u2011digit code to deposit the money at an ATM. Moments later, everything disappeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of a sudden everything was wiped out. The card was gone. The Chase card was gone,\u201d Fendley said. The account vanished from her phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was sick, just pure sick, because I realized what just happened to me,\u201d Fenley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Erin West, founder of Operation Shamrock, an organization that fights scams, says government impersonation scams are among the most effective and dangerous fraud schemes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is such an urgency attached to these scams that people are lured into making quick decisions that result in a lot of money getting stolen,\u201d West said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
West says people should never trust unsolicited texts or calls, even if they appear to come from a bank or law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t expect anything coming into our phone that we didn\u2019t ask for to direct us to an honest platform,\u201d West said. Her advice: Do not respond to fraud alert texts. Instead, contact your bank directly using the phone number on your card or official website. And if someone claims to be with the FBI, verify it yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you believe the FBI is reaching out to you,\u201d West said, \u201cyou should contact your local field office and confirm it independently.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fendley has filed reports with the Harris County Sheriff\u2019s Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and the FBI. She says sharing her story is painful, but necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want people to know there are scammers out there who are so clever,\u201d she said. \u201cThey did me in.\u201d The FBI has issued multiple alerts about scammers impersonating federal agents, stressing that agents will never ask for money, gift cards, wire transfers, or ATM deposits. If you believe you are being targeted, authorities say to hang up immediately and report it.\u00a0<\/p>\n