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Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 11:38 am
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It’s been busy with possible scams. I had two this week alone. I know I sound the alarm on these often but these are worth sharing.
I had a possible phone charity scam and a rather authentic-looking banking phishing scam.
Banking scam Email
I had a rather authentic-looking phishing scam land in my inbox on Monday 4/3/2023. Are these types of scams new? No, they aren’t but this one was pretty convincing.
It claimed to be from Well Fargo and even had the official email letterhead and call-back phone numbers.
Was it a real Wells Fargo email? No, it wasn’t. Even though it looked real I noticed that it wasn’t from an authorized Wells Fargo email address.
The sender
The email was sent from Wells Fraud Detection info@contactlimit.com.
The email itself is a dead giveaway that it’s a scam email.
The email
The email was a typical your account has been suspended. Or in this case, my login had been suspended.
This would be a phishing email. That means the email is trying to get you to verify your information.
scam email text
Wellsfargo Logo
We have suspended your online banking access
We’re letting you know your Online Banking unauthorized access to your account on 04/03/2023.
This alert pertains to your user ID, not to a specific account. We need you to verify your information to reactivate your account.
This suspension is temporary, to unlock your account visit wellsfargo.com and follow the instructions provided.
If you are receiving COVID-19 payment assistance, your payment may not be due at this time.
If you have questions about your account, Wells Fargo Customer Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call us at 1-800-956-4442.
Here is a screenshot of what the email looks like.
The scary part
Here’s the scary part for me the email uses valid Wells Fargo letterhead and it even includes the customer service phone number.
The link that it directed me to visit when I held my mouse icon over it showed it was from a SendGrid email.
Sendgrid sends out emails or newsletters.
This Phishing scam can really have people fooled. You can report it to Wells Fargo by using the following email address:
reportphish@wellsfargo.com
You can also find out more about reporting these types of phishing messages to Wells Fargo by visiting the link below.
https://www.wellsfargo.com/privacy-security/fraud/report/phish/
My login wasn’t suspended when I checked the online banking portal. Also, there was no notice stating my login or account was suspended.
Remember don’t click on any links in these types of emails or text messages. Always reach out to your bank or credit card directly.
Don’t fall for this scam.
Charity call (possible scam)
I had a charity call earlier this week that made me wonder. Surprisingly I found some info to back it up as a possible scam.
The phone number
I had a call from a 1-800 number. The exact number is 1-888-987-1528.
My cell phone even listed it as potential spam.
The caller
The second I answered the phone i heard dead air. I said hello followed by my usual Pal’s pet supplies. Finally, after a few seconds, i heard a female voice say hello. I replied hello.
The caller remarked, “hello are you there?” Knowing this was a key phone scam a few years ago uttered “How can I help you?”
Well, the caller suddenly launches into a speech about how she’s Courtney calling from the Breast Cancer Reielf fund pack commit. I tried to cut her off to let her know that she was calling a business line. She kept on with her speech.
From what I could catch she was asking to send out donation slips to people. I cut her off and stated she was calling a business line. She promptly hung up on me.
Are you there?
Using the phrase Are you there? or Can you hear me? have been common scam practices. Basically, the person who answers the phone is inclined to say “Yes”. You can learn more at the BBB (Better Business Bureau) article by clicking the link below.
How is this a Possible scam?
There are many scams that are acting as charities. I didn’t find out that the Breast Cancer Relief fund is a legitimate charity.
I did find the Breast Cancer Research Foundation but not the relief fund.
I also think this may be a scam because of the way the caller acted after I said hello. If the caller hadn’t asked me if I was there it wouldn’t have bothered me.
Since the Are you there are? or Can you hear me? scams always assume the person will say Yes. They then can use your voice to authorize transactions on a credit card if one is given.
I found the exact phone number listed via RoboKiller. They also have a short clip of the call.
https://lookup.robokiller.com/p/888-987-1528
charity resource info
You can visit these two pages to see if the charity is legit. You can also do a general search to see if it is valid as well.
The BBB (Better Business Bureau) has a list of valid charities.
https://give.org/donor-landing-page/national-charity-reviews/select
Charity Navigator is another site that can offer some help.
https://www.charitynavigator.org/
These resources may not always list all charities but it may have a place to start.
Remember if the call is asking for donations you are able to ask as many questions as possible. Or even ask for a charity website URL. You can also decline the donation and asked to be removed from their call list.
Please don’t fall for this possible scam. Always do your research before donating.
