I'm sympathetic but I think the root problem here was not understanding that the bank will communicate with you via text and/or email.
I think this is an issue when people "of a certain age" don't understand that the bank won't pick up the phone and call you any longer. I've certainly received text messages and emails from my bank and I know to watch for them.
But then again, you also have the issue of fake texts and emails from your bank. I'm always nervous that I will not recognize an obvious phishing attempt, and when my parents were alive it was even scarier.
I never save credit cards on vendor websites, and don't use google pay or apple pay or any of those others where you have to have all that info on your phone. Yes it's convenient but in my mind not worth it.
Posts: 35378 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005
The other big red flag to me is that they never received a confirmation from him that it was OK to wire the money. That seems odd, and so odd I'm wondering if I didn't read it correctly or if the scammers also scammed the authorization.
Posts: 35378 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005
Originally posted by Nina: ... or if the scammers also scammed the authorization.
Most likely the scammers faked the authorization. I cannot imagine the bank acting without authorization. Though in this day and age of online banking, authorization may simply be knowing your online banking username and password.
I do get phone calls from my bank branch occasionally, just to "see if there's anything I need," probably because I have a lot of money with them.
They seem to be the real deal.
It's strange because the bank never used to call me.
-------------------------------- “It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray
Posts: 13813 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005
The only time Wells Fargo has called was after a recent screw up on their part that got several balances wrong. The bank wanted to know how I was doing. Told them I was moving to another bank.
The other bank is underwhelming. Took them two days to sent a text that my password had been changed. It requires a drive across much of the busiest part of Tucson to get to. Moving bank drafts etc. is keeping me from finishing the move. Stay with Wells Fargo or go. I hate bookkeeping, two banks is too much of a PITA.
-------------------------------- Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.
Posts: 25705 | Location: Still living at 9000 feet in the High Rockies of Colorado | Registered: 20 April 2005
I asked a banker where I have my checking account why they don’t allow “Positive Pay” to be used by the general public. The banker said that currently only institutions can use it. Positive Pay or “Posi Pay” for short, is a software package that institutions can use to help prevent check fraud. Posi Pay has been around for a long time now. I don’t see why they can’t adapt it for an individual’s checking account.
Posi Pay is used where I work, a government agency. I don’t work in the financial section though where it’s actually used. For each check to be printed, a Posi Pay user enters into the Posi Pay system the check no., check date, and check amount. Banks use this information to know which checks to honor. This helps to cut down on check fraud.
See the 2022 movie “Emily the Criminal”. It’s a fictional narrative crime thriller film about a credit card fraud ring and how they operate but it can also apply to stolen credit cards, stolen checks, stolen smart phones, etc. They’re high tech criminals and they can clean out your bank account real quick.
