ORLANDO, Fla. – A phone call that included Bank of America on the caller ID convinced a Flagler County woman to give the last four digits of her Social Security number to an apparent bank imposter.
The request for Ruth Brown’s personal information came from a woman who claimed to be a bank security representative.
“If it had just been a toll-free number with no name or any ID, I never would have answered it to begin with,” Brown told News 6.
According to Brown, the call came on Friday, Sept.1, and the woman asked for her by name and claimed she couldn’t give her details unless Brown confirmed her identity.
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“She had a question about an incident with my pay bill account, Brown said. “And she says, ‘Well, I can’t divulge the information until you confirm who you really are,’ and that’s when she asked for the last four digits of my Social Security.”
The phone call came from an 888 exchange, according to Bank of America spokesperson Naomi Patton, a number that is not associated with the bank.
Brown was unable to access her account the following day and the bank had her change the password and other key information. Her account has not been breached.
In a statement to News 6, Patton wrote in part: “I can confirm that number you shared is not the Bank of America customer service number. The correct number for Bank of America Customer Service is 800-432-1000.”
News 6 called the imposter 888 number and a recording was convincing enough to believe we had called Bank of America customer service. In fact, the exact female voice used in the authentic recording is used in the imposter Bank of America recording.
Patton urged viewers to remember that banks, including Bank of America, will never call a customer and ask for personal information including a Social Security number.
“We encourage our customers to be cautious and to know who they’re conducting financial transactions with. We warn against sending, depositing or wiring money to anyone if they are not familiar with them. If you receive what appears to be a fraudulent phone call or text message that appear to be from their bank should call the customer service number on their debit or credit card or bank statement to confirm any questionable or fraudulent inquiries.”
Anyone receiving a text or phone call from someone claiming to be with Bank of America should report it immediately by sending the phone number and any pertinent information to abuse@bankofamerica.com.
Patton told News 6 that any potential fraud targets should include relevant details, such as whether the suspicious caller attempted to impersonate Bank of America and whether any personal or financial information was provided to the suspicious caller.
If you have a consumer or investment issue just email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words Make Ends Meet along with your issue and email to 407-676-7428.
For additional bank security information review these links:
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