New Scam Is Draining Bank Accounts In Central Minnesota

(KNSI) – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is warning area residents of a new scam that’s draining victim’s bank accounts.

Deputies say in the last month, they’ve received several reports of a victim getting a telephone call from someone claiming to be a representative from their bank’s fraud department. The caller convinces the victim there are fraudulent charges on their account and they’re calling to fix the issue. They tell the victim to download an app onto their smartphone, and once the app is installed, the suspect can access the victim’s phone. Criminals then carry out money transfers and empty the victim’s accounts.

All of the reports in Benton County have involved Wells Fargo customers, with the suspects spoofing numbers to look like they are coming from the bank. Law enforcement fears the scam will be used against customers of other banks, requiring everyone to be on guard for these kinds of calls.

Officers say never download an app on your mobile device when contacted unexpectedly. A bank fraud department will never ask for account information or to gain access to your phone.

If anyone gets a call like this and has concerns their account may have been hacked, police say they should contact their bank.

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