A woman lost $17,500 in a scam connected to a larger operation that has defrauded victims of nearly $400,000 across North Carolina’s Research Triangle region, according to investigators in the area.
Someone gained access to her phone and computer, impersonated her bank and stole thousands, leaving her embarrassed.
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“Every morning I wake up and I’m like, I just want this nightmare to go away,” she told reporters in Raleigh.
She’s not alone. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that Americans are scammed out of $2.95 billion by imposter fraud every year — the second largest form of financial fraud after only investment scams.
Because imposter scams pose serious and ever-changing threats, maintaining fraud detection best practices and tracking new techniques is critical to staying safe.
A harrowing ordeal
The victim’s harrowing ordeal began when she was unable to access her online banking portal. She called what she thought was her bank’s number saved in her contacts: “I put in my password and username and got to the website, but it wouldn’t let me open my accounts.”
A “representative” answered and claimed her accounts were frozen due to a suspicious PayPal transaction. After being transfered to a “PayPal fraud” representarive – a call she ended because the audio quality was poor — she called another number, in Florida, which she found online herself.
However, during the second call, she was informed that she needed to pay an $82 fee (supposedly refundable) and follow specific instructions, including downloading software onto her computer.
But the software wasn’t what it seemed. “I typed $82 and I immediately looked up to the screen and it says $18,000, and then it goes, accept, accept, accept — just like that.
“That’s not what I typed in; that’s a mistake,” she said.
Access to bank account granted
She says the scammer now had access to the woman’s computer and then used that information to transfer $18,000 from her savings into her checking account. Then, she says, he printed a letter with Bank of America’s logo on it — from her printer. The letter stated that the IRS had blocked the transfer.
Throughout it all, the scammer told the woman not to stop and think.
“He kept saying, ‘don’t hang up on me,’” she said. The victim’s caller ID shows the call lasted more than four hours.
The victim says the scammer then told her, “What you have to do to fix it is you have to get cash, go to your bank and get cash.”
The victim followed the scammer’s directions and went to her local Bank of America branch to withdraw $17,500 — the extra $500 “for her troubles.”
There, the manager asked her if she was withdrawing the money under duress. She denied this, even signing a document attesting that the withdrawal was of her own free will.
“I’m like, no, I’m not being pressured, I didn’t know I was being scammed,” she told reporters.
When she returned home, the victim found another letter in her printer tray — this time thanking her for returning the money and alerting her that a “Mr. Jack” would be picking up the money shortly.
Soon enough, her doorbell rang, and Mr. Jack appeared.
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Suspect is apprehended
After giving $17,500 cash to the scammer at her door, the woman called her daughters, who immediately identified it as a scam.
Distressed, she went to the police. And although investigators say the victim likely won’t recover her money, her Ring doorbell provided crucial evidence in a much larger operation.
It led to the capture of Linghui Zheng, a Chinese national and illegal immigrant who collected the cash himself, a critical mistake that led to his arrest.
Zheng and an alleged accomplice, Yunlong Lin, now face multiple charges across Person, Durham and Granville counties.
The scam operation has stolen approximately $400,000 from victims throughout North Carolina, according to authorities. Both suspects remain in the Person County Detention Center under a $250,000 secured bond.
Investigators also found that Zheng had unsuccessfully attempted to contact the victim a second time to scam an additional $30,000. A representative at Bank of America told ABC 11’s Diane Wilson that they are investigating the case and are unable to comment until their investigation is complete.
Stay vigilant
For its part, Bank of America offers the following advice to help identify scams:
Pause. Take a second to think because scammers like to create a sense of urgency to force you into making mistakes.
Verify. Always check the caller’s identity using a trusted source, like a direct line with the bank or the bank’s website. Never share details unless you are 100% certain.
Stay vigilant. Discuss issues and situations that don’t feel right with friends and family. Scammer stories are often inconsistent, but red flags remain the same.
The most important thing you can do is not to panic. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to pressure you into acting quickly before you have time to think. Take a few seconds to consider what you’ve heard carefully. Does it pass the sniff test — does it sound trustworthy after applying some basic due diligence?
Or, as a Reddit user eloquently puts it on the r/Scams subreddit, “And for heaven’s sake, do NOT be in such a panic that you click on a link in a text or email. NOTHING is that time sensitive that you can’t hang up, wait 5 minutes, and call your bank.”
As for the unfortunate victim in N.C.? “What I want people to know is, you know, don’t let your defenses down.”
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
