4 ms·

For those that were curious and didn't want to read this long article. This is a very common scam. "Family Emergency Scams". https://consumer.ftc.gov/article

For those that were curious and didn't want to read this long article. This is a very common scam. "Family Emergency Scams". https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/scammers-use-fake-emergencies-steal-your-money https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/scammers-use-fake-emergenc... The woman went to the bank and withdrew $50k in cash. The article makes no mention of the bank warning or asking any questions. Banks and Tellers absolutely need to be taught to warn people of these scams. It has saved many people in the past by just simply raising awareness.

c-fe 3y ago
the scam described in the article is very different from the one you link to. I can advise reading the article, its well written.
BiteCode_dev 3y ago
Yes but then this means they have to ask what the money is for. When I withdraw a lot of cash, my standard answer is "to put under my mattress". I don't want to tell a random teller what I'm doing with my money.
- hn8305823 3y ago
  In the US, if you are withdrawing ~thousands of $ in cash, and they ask you what it is for, and your answer is "mattress" or "no answer" then you can be 100% certain they will file an SAR. However, there are probably so many SAR's that they would only be useful as a data point on an investigation triggered by something else, or if you get them frequently. Also, if over $10k they are automatically required to file a CTR on that, but I bet those are even less likely to trigger anything by themselves.
  - flerchin 3y ago
    They'll file an SAR either way. Isn't a big deal.
- anthony88 3y ago
  Better than asking what the money is for, even if the customer gives a reason like "buying a car", warn the customer that if someone on the phone or is unknown at your door asked you to do it urgently it's probably a scam even it they say they are from your bank/company/authorities.
- cassianoleal 3y ago
  Advising a person of a possible scam doesn't entail asking them what they need the money for.
  - BiteCode_dev 3y ago
    Given the number of different scams, I doubt just saying "and beaware of scams" is going to be effective.
JKCalhoun 3y ago
The article does in fact mention that the teller told her to be aware of scams.
- michaelcampbell 3y ago
  It is much easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled.
- NikkiA 3y ago
  I had one on monday that purported to be my bank claiming it was calling to verify some blocked transactions £300 for amazon and £1000 in 'foreign travellers cheques'. It was pretty obvious from the start it was an attempt at a scam - my bank never uses a robocall when they call to tell me they've blocked transactions, but this was a 'press 2 to talk to our customer service', but they still went with the 'we have blocked them because they are suspicious'. I guess they're happy to point out that scams and such exist, because it plays into your paranoia that maybe you ARE being scammed by someone else, and increases your trust in the caller if they're warning you.
  - Nifty3929 3y ago
    All they want is for you to press or saying anything, to prove to themselves that a live person is at that number. Then you go on a list for increased scam attempts. They just call every number, most of which are dead. So finding a literal "live one" is gold. The real scam comes in a follow up. DON'T PRESS OR SAY ANYTHING. Don't answer, or if you answer by mistake, just hang up.
- SilasX 3y ago
  All I see for that in the article is this part: >>The woman behind the thick glass window raised her eyebrows, disappeared into a back room, came back with a large metal box of $100 bills, and counted them out with a machine. Then she pushed the stacks of bills through the slot along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams. I thanked her and left. Giving you a generic warning slip isn't the same as "telling you to be aware of scams" -- most people lump that into generic background noise.
Workaccount2 3y ago
I once caught a older lady buying $2000 of google play gift cards from the service counter at a grocery store. When I brought it up as politely as I could, she paused and look concerned but then assured me that they were gifts for her grand kids graduations. I pushed back gently that she should call the police if someone asked her to buy those, but she nervously laughed and reiterated the graduation gifts line. I have no idea the outcome, but I do know it was in March and that here in America her grand kids almost certainly have iPhones. Really upsetting.
geocrasher 3y ago
Indeed. It's very, very sad. My best friend's mom recently passed. She had Stage 4 breast cancer and somehow survived for a decade in that condition. My friend's dad has always been "out there" in a sense, but now has full on dementia. While cleaning out their old office, we came across Apple Pay gift cards, all with their code revealed, stored in an envelope. $2500 worth, from people with very little to begin with. His Dad, with his dementia, had no idea what it was about, and his Mom is gone. We can only conclude that they were scammed. His Mom was a very sharp woman, but somehow it still happened. Very sad indeed.
pwg 3y ago
> The article makes no mention of the bank warning or asking any questions. The article, about half way in, indeed does say the bank teller which counted out the $50k warned her of scams. It is in this paragraph: > When I reached the bank, I told the guard I needed to make a large cash withdrawal and she sent me upstairs. Michael was on speakerphone in my pocket. I asked the teller for $50,000. The woman behind the thick glass window raised her eyebrows, disappeared into a back room, came back with a large metal box of $100 bills, and counted them out with a machine. Then she pushed the stacks of bills through the slot along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams. I thanked her and left. Note the second half of the second to last sentence: "along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams". The person being scammed ignored the bank's scam warning.
- Arrath 3y ago
  Curious that it was only an easily ignored piece of paper, though. Not even a short chat as to "how sure are you that you are withdrawing this lump of cash for a legitimate purpose"?
  - pwg 3y ago
    Agreed, the bank /should/ have tried harder to point out the possibility for a 'scam' occurring here (and of course this would eventually evolve into a discussion of "how much is sufficient"). But the article does admit that the bank did warn her, she just ignored the warning (and I don't recall her saying why she ignored the warning on the sheet of paper).
  - prawn 3y ago
    Wasn't the scammer on a live call in her pocket, listening in? In which case, a warning on paper might've been the best way to secretly convey the message. And also give her something tangible to review at multiple times before the money was handed over?

c-fe 3y ago

the scam described in the article is very different from the one you link to. I can advise reading the article, its well written.

BiteCode_dev 3y ago

Yes but then this means they have to ask what the money is for. When I withdraw a lot of cash, my standard answer is "to put under my mattress". I don't want to tell a random teller what I'm doing with my money.

hn8305823 3y ago
In the US, if you are withdrawing ~thousands of $ in cash, and they ask you what it is for, and your answer is "mattress" or "no answer" then you can be 100% certain they will file an SAR. However, there are probably so many SAR's that they would only be useful as a data point on an investigation triggered by something else, or if you get them frequently. Also, if over $10k they are automatically required to file a CTR on that, but I bet those are even less likely to trigger anything by themselves.
- flerchin 3y ago
  They'll file an SAR either way. Isn't a big deal.
anthony88 3y ago
Better than asking what the money is for, even if the customer gives a reason like "buying a car", warn the customer that if someone on the phone or is unknown at your door asked you to do it urgently it's probably a scam even it they say they are from your bank/company/authorities.
cassianoleal 3y ago
Advising a person of a possible scam doesn't entail asking them what they need the money for.
- BiteCode_dev 3y ago
  Given the number of different scams, I doubt just saying "and beaware of scams" is going to be effective.

JKCalhoun 3y ago

The article does in fact mention that the teller told her to be aware of scams.

michaelcampbell 3y ago
It is much easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled.
NikkiA 3y ago
I had one on monday that purported to be my bank claiming it was calling to verify some blocked transactions £300 for amazon and £1000 in 'foreign travellers cheques'. It was pretty obvious from the start it was an attempt at a scam - my bank never uses a robocall when they call to tell me they've blocked transactions, but this was a 'press 2 to talk to our customer service', but they still went with the 'we have blocked them because they are suspicious'. I guess they're happy to point out that scams and such exist, because it plays into your paranoia that maybe you ARE being scammed by someone else, and increases your trust in the caller if they're warning you.
- Nifty3929 3y ago
  All they want is for you to press or saying anything, to prove to themselves that a live person is at that number. Then you go on a list for increased scam attempts. They just call every number, most of which are dead. So finding a literal "live one" is gold. The real scam comes in a follow up. DON'T PRESS OR SAY ANYTHING. Don't answer, or if you answer by mistake, just hang up.
SilasX 3y ago
All I see for that in the article is this part: >>The woman behind the thick glass window raised her eyebrows, disappeared into a back room, came back with a large metal box of $100 bills, and counted them out with a machine. Then she pushed the stacks of bills through the slot along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams. I thanked her and left. Giving you a generic warning slip isn't the same as "telling you to be aware of scams" -- most people lump that into generic background noise.

Workaccount2 3y ago

I once caught a older lady buying $2000 of google play gift cards from the service counter at a grocery store. When I brought it up as politely as I could, she paused and look concerned but then assured me that they were gifts for her grand kids graduations. I pushed back gently that she should call the police if someone asked her to buy those, but she nervously laughed and reiterated the graduation gifts line. I have no idea the outcome, but I do know it was in March and that here in America her grand kids almost certainly have iPhones. Really upsetting.

geocrasher 3y ago

Indeed. It's very, very sad. My best friend's mom recently passed. She had Stage 4 breast cancer and somehow survived for a decade in that condition. My friend's dad has always been "out there" in a sense, but now has full on dementia. While cleaning out their old office, we came across Apple Pay gift cards, all with their code revealed, stored in an envelope. $2500 worth, from people with very little to begin with. His Dad, with his dementia, had no idea what it was about, and his Mom is gone. We can only conclude that they were scammed. His Mom was a very sharp woman, but somehow it still happened. Very sad indeed.

pwg 3y ago

> The article makes no mention of the bank warning or asking any questions. The article, about half way in, indeed does say the bank teller which counted out the $50k warned her of scams. It is in this paragraph: > When I reached the bank, I told the guard I needed to make a large cash withdrawal and she sent me upstairs. Michael was on speakerphone in my pocket. I asked the teller for $50,000. The woman behind the thick glass window raised her eyebrows, disappeared into a back room, came back with a large metal box of $100 bills, and counted them out with a machine. Then she pushed the stacks of bills through the slot along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams. I thanked her and left. Note the second half of the second to last sentence: "along with a sheet of paper warning me against scams". The person being scammed ignored the bank's scam warning.

Arrath 3y ago
Curious that it was only an easily ignored piece of paper, though. Not even a short chat as to "how sure are you that you are withdrawing this lump of cash for a legitimate purpose"?
- pwg 3y ago
  Agreed, the bank /should/ have tried harder to point out the possibility for a 'scam' occurring here (and of course this would eventually evolve into a discussion of "how much is sufficient"). But the article does admit that the bank did warn her, she just ignored the warning (and I don't recall her saying why she ignored the warning on the sheet of paper).
- prawn 3y ago
  Wasn't the scammer on a live call in her pocket, listening in? In which case, a warning on paper might've been the best way to secretly convey the message. And also give her something tangible to review at multiple times before the money was handed over?