SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In a widespread scam, bank imposters are tricking people into sending them money with Zelle, the popular quick payment app.
The scam has been going on across the country for more than a year.
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Now more are coming forward – among the latest is a San Francisco man who says the imposters knew all of his banking information, which led him into the trap. He said the shock was more than he could handle.
“I had a panic attack,” said the victim, San Francisco resident Eduardo Carrascosa. “I just couldn’t believe, I just couldn’t believe it… $3,500 is a lot of money.”
That’s how much he lost, in an instant, back in June. Carrascosa says it happened while he was busy at work, managing shipping at a time when companies are trying to unclog the supply chain.
“I got a call from ‘Bank of America,'” he said, using air quotes as he said the bank name. At the time, he thought it really was his bank.
The irony here: the imposters told him scammers had changed his Zelle account to send themselves money. In fact, that is exactly what the imposters themselves were doing. Thousands of dollars, gone in an instant.
A woman on the phone said someone was transferring $3,500 out of his bank account. Was he the one authorizing it?
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“No, that’s not me, go ahead and cancel it,” Carrascosa said he replied. “Let me get back…
