PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — If you think you wouldn’t fall for a credit card scam, neither did the people we spoke to in Port St. Lucie.
That’s where police say scammers are targeting Wells Fargo cardholders.
Surveillance footage shows the moment a scam victim handed over their credit card in a white envelope to a person posing as a Wells Fargo employee.
The man in the clip is one of three people that Port St. Lucie police are looking to identify.
Lisa Jensen is one of 10 victims who've been swindled since late April.
“The lady on the phone was very professional. She said, 'Hi, I'm so-and-so from Wells Fargo fraud department and we've detected that there's been some fraud on your account,'" said Jensen.
She said the scammer told her they would send an employee to pick up her debit card at her house as part of a "recycle program."
"So, she said when the person comes to the door they’ll have a code that they give you. You'll compare it with the code I give you and just give her the card and you’ll receive a new card in the mail," said Jensen.
A person was at her door 10 minutes later.
Not long after her account was locked with $2,800 missing.
"They lead you to believe that they are actually from where they are calling from," Jensen said. The lady on the phone sounded just like someone who would call from Wells Fargo."
Darlene Hughes got the same call. Her losses were even higher totaling $9,600. She said the bank won't reimburse her.
"I panicked and the adrenaline had me going and I was like whatever I have to do to stop them from getting my mom's money is what I have to do," said Hughes. "They kept me engaged to keep me from thinking too much."
Police said 10 victims have lost a combined $73,000.
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"This whole taking customer service to the next level is something we need to be aware of," Port St. Lucie Police Chief Richard Del Toro said. A bank would never do that; they would never send out a representative to your home."
Del Toro said the best advice is to never give out information when you get a call from a bank. Instead, call the number on the back of your card to ensure you're talking to a representative.
For now, the victims are left hoping justice will be served.
"You work hard for your money and you have to pay your bills and someone comes along and just takes that money and doesn’t bat an eye," Jensen said. "How can they sleep at night?"
Below is a statement that Wells Fargo sent to WPTV regarding the issue, along with tips to avoid becoming a victim:
"Wells Fargo will never ask you to send us your physical card, nor will Wells Fargo send someone to collect your card. If either of these occur, it's a scam."
Tips to avoid becoming a victim
- Scammers will try to rush you into taking action, so you won’t take time to stop, think and verify facts
- Scammers can spoof their caller ID number
- Common tactics include asking you to provide sensitive personal information or to send money to help stop a phony transaction or receive a refund
- Your bank won't ask you to send a payment or your physical card to prevent or stop fraud in your account. If you get a call asking for that, immediately hang up and call your bank directly
- Providing personal information such as One-Time passcodes, passwords, or PIN can give scammers access to your account and your funds
- If you are uncomfortable with a request received by phone call or text that you didn’t initiate, don't respond and hang up immediately
- Contact the company using legitimate sources
- We encourage people to visit Wells Fargo's online security center to learn about common scams and how to avoid them
