He tells her that she owes $3,998.
He gives me an address, I write the check out and mail it.
After quickly learning it was a scam, Beth is heartbroken and embarrassed.
However, thanks to local law enforcement, Beth is able to recover all her money!
TIPS:Use a tech support company who can work on your machine in person.
Do not accept help from a tech support company who has reached out to you.
Contact your State Attorney Generals office if youve been a victim of fraud.
Stop and verify information contained in emails before clicking on any links or responding.
These scams havebeen around a long time, but we’re still falling for them.
For The Perfect Scam, I’m Will Johnson.
I’m here withmy cohost, the AARP Fraud Watch web connection Ambassador, Frank Abagnale.
Frank,welcome back.
[00:00:48] FrankAbagnale: That’s, Will, glad to be with you.
[00:00:58] FrankAbagnale: Right.
And there’s a lot ofinteresting stuff to dig into, even with these really very common scams.
Onebeing that people that fall for this one, are not necessarily older, oftentimesthey’re younger.
So it’s notjust a crime that would affect someone older.
[00:01:50] HOST: So,even Millennials fall for it.
[00:01:51] FrankAbagnale: Yes.
[00:01:52] HOST: If notmore Millennials than older people.
Alright, well let’s get into this one.
[00:02:07] Beth: Hello.
[00:02:08] HOST: Thisis Beth.
She’s retired, single, healthy, with a good group of close friends.
Itwas a day like any other, in August of 2016 when she got a call on her phone.
[00:02:53] Beth: Yes, Iwas.
[00:02:55] HOST: Andso, what did they tell you do to next?
And theysaid that this would-be lifetime protection with Dell.
And they told me howmuch it would be, they had asked for a check for nearly $4,000.
And went to themailbox right at my corner and mailed it, and hoping that I did the rightthing.
It, it was sort of traumatic writing out a check like that.
[00:03:46] HOST: Youmailed a check, and this is not a small amount of money.
As a retiree, I’massuming that $4,000 was something that you probably could have used.
[00:03:55] Beth:Absolutely.
[00:03:56] HOST: A fewmonths later Beth got another call.
[00:04:00] Beth: Hello.
[00:04:42] Beth:Correct.
[00:04:46] HOST: WillJohnson: So what did you do next?
What was your next, your next move?
Fortunately, Beth had alsocalled the police and filed a report.
So I called thepolice and they came over.
[00:06:37] HOST: Thefull amount?
[00:06:38] Beth: Thefull amount.
[00:06:47] Beth: Imean, I, I just couldn’t believe it.
Tell us about that experience.
Has that experienceweighed on you, and I hope you’re over that embarrassment to some degree?
[00:07:53] Beth: Yes, Idid.
[00:08:44] HOST: Thankyou so much, and I’m glad you got your money back.
[00:08:47] Beth: Okay,thank you, bye-bye.
[00:08:49] HOST:Bye-bye.
They say, well we’ve gotall your bank account numbers, we’ve got this and that.
So, the thing is that I always tell people that Microsoft is not goingto call you.
So I always look at only using a credit card.
Will they play onsomething, fears surrounding that?
[00:13:08] HOST:Working online scams.
Is that a relatively safe thing for a scammer to do, say I’vegot a drop off box?
I mean is that not, can the FBI not easily find that?
Cause you know, a lotof times they just choose a P.O.
box, so they get the P.O.
Soyou’re very limited to the resources law enforcement has.
[00:15:39] HOST: Yeah,it’s not worth it to them.
[00:15:54] HOST:Painful if you’ve lost $3,000 but puts it in perspective.
[00:15:57] FrankAbagnale: Right.
[00:17:58] FrankAbagnale: Right.
[00:18:36] HOST: AndBeth is super persistent.
I mean what if you do have something like that?
You may turn yourcomputer off?
They really haven’t done anything, they haven’t gotten in your files.
[00:20:38] FrankAbagnale: Right, 99 percent of ransomware comes from clicking on an email.
Iwill say this; these emails are getting pretty sophisticated.
I wanted to alsotell you that I saw this cool thing on YouTube.
Why don’t you check this outwhen you have a, an opportunity and tap on this link?"
[00:21:06] HOST: AndI’m assuming this came to someone named Helen.
These people take that information, put it together, but that’s whatsells it.
It’s so real, who else are you going to think it is?
[00:21:28] HOST: Yeah,I’d fall for that.
No, I’m kidding.
Don’t punch that,but yeah, I mean that’s, that’s too tricky.
[00:21:38] FrankAbagnale: Be careful, yeah.
So our accountingdepartment sent them up.
Anyquestions, c’mon let me know.
He said I never requested these.
I used it many times as a16-year-old who only had access to a phone to social engineer people with.
[00:23:18] HOST: Andwhen you say social engineering, what do you mean?
[00:23:28] HOST: Inyour past, in your history.
So, the next day Iplaced a phone call to Pan Am.
When their switchboard answered, I asked tospeak to someone in purchasing.
Heexplained to me about well do you have a spare?
I said, yes, it’s in SanFrancisco, I dont have a spare with me.
He said, it’ll cost you the price ofthe uniform.
I said, I understand.
They’ll take care ofyou.
That’s all I was doing.
Of course he would have said, no.
I used it 50 years ago, people use itevery single day.
They only have a lot of other ways to deliver it, throughemails and through text messages and etc.
[00:24:59] HOST:Alright, the AARP Fraud Watch web link Ambassador Frank Abagnale.
Thanks againfor being here.
[00:25:02] FrankAbagnale: Great being with you, Will.
Be sure tofind us on Apple podcast, or any of the many fine podcast outlets you choose tovisit.
