GREECE, N.Y. — A Greece woman almost lost all the money in her savings account in an elaborate scam that began with a phone call impersonating Amazon and ended with scammers sending a courier to her home to take her cash.
“I almost lost $13,000,” Debby Nusz said.
Nusz’s saga started with a fake phone call from Amazon.
“Authorize the payment of $999 for the recent order of Apple iPhone 16 Pro on your account. If you do not authorize this payment, please press one to speak to our customer support representative,” the message said.
Nusz had not bought an iPhone, so she pressed one.
“And a gentleman answered and he said it’s through a business account. And I said but I don’t have a business account through Amazon,” Nusz said.
The scammers impersonated Amazon, a Social Security officer and a U.S. Marshal who had a host of personal information.
“They had my full Social Security number. They knew I was recently divorced. They knew my bank was Key Bank. They knew I had two investments,” Nusz said.
Scammers had likely bought her personal information on the dark web, making that police imposter appear credible.
“She said there’s a warrant out for your arrest, and we also see that there is $11,000 that is going to be withdrawn from your account,” Nusz said.
The so-called marshal told Nusz to stay on the phone, drive to the bank, withdraw her money, then text them a picture.
“And they were very, very convincing,” Nusz said.
The scam marshal said she’d send a courier to pick up the money to keep it safe from thieves. For Nusz, that was the tip-off.
“And that’s when I hung up and I went right down to that bank,” she said.
Her investment banker confirmed she’d been scammed, re-deposited her cash and changed all her account numbers.
The Washoe County Nevada Sheriff’s Department posted a warning on Instagram about the same scam as has the FTC because many others across the country have been targeted, indicative of an international crime ring.
But are these local couriers unwitting participants or partners in crime?
“I’m 70 years old. And I’m single. Living alone. And I called you because I want the awareness out there,” Nusz said.
It’s important to note that the scammer usually keeps the victim on the phone while they’re withdrawing the money because they don’t want the bank teller to tip off the victim.
Amazon would never call or text you to authorize a purchase, so here’s Deanna’s do list:
If you get any call or text message from a business or retailer, never click on a link or call the number. Instead, look up the actual business and call the official customer service number.
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