WALDORF, Md. - A Maryland woman scammed out of thousands of dollars is speaking out in an effort to help others avoid a ploy making the rounds across the country.Denise, who lives in Charles County, didn’t want to use her last name because she’s still worried about the people who targeted her at the beginning of January."I haven’t been able to eat, I haven’t been able to sleep," she said Tuesday.It all started with a text message that purported to be from her bank, Wells Fargo, that said, ‘Zelle transaction attempted $3500,’ asking her to reply yes or no to verify the charge.Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and WeatherShe replied, ‘no,’ and moments later, her phone rang.
The man said he was with Wells Fargo and someone was trying to steal $3,500 from her via Zelle, but luckily they caught it in time and there was a simple solution.He didn’t ask her to click a link or give a bank account number, instead, he instructed Denise to log into her Zelle account and send $3,500 back to herself to "reverse the transaction."Denise said she had a moment where she doubted what he was telling her, and she asked him to verify his identity."I said, ‘I need something where nobody else knows, but an inside person.’ And he said, ‘You just made a transaction.
You transferred the money from your savings to your checking.’ And he told me the exact amount. And I thought, ‘Well, OK.’"SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 5 DC ON YOUTUBESgt.
Michael Smith, who leads the financial crimes division at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, says the caller was likely in Denise’s bank account already.