Yesterday we learned that Bobby was nearly scammed after his *check card* got hacked.
He explained that he had just woken up from a nap when his phone rang. It looked like his bank calling, and since his debit card had just been cancelled, the timing made sense. The caller said they needed to verify his accounts and asked him questions like, “How much money do you have in checking?” and “How much is in savings?” Bobby, still groggy, answered honestly.
Then, things got even more suspicious. The caller asked if he could log into his banking app and said they were going to FaceTime him to “connect screens” and make sure the numbers matched. Bobby answered the FaceTime, but the longer the call went on, the stranger it felt. Finally, Bobby pushed back, saying, “I don’t think you’re real.” The scammer got defensive and even snapped, “Have you never talked to fraud before?”
What made it scary was that they had all of Bobby’s personal details, his phone number, address, and bank name. They had caught him at just the right moment, tired and off guard. Thankfully, Bobby realized before giving them access to his accounts.
With an update today, Bobby believes he figured out how his information ended up in the wrong hands: the dark web. He had recently tried to buy some beef jerky online from what he thought was a legit website. He remembers putting in his card information, but the payment wouldn’t go through. He tried again with another card, but still no luck. He even texted his wife the link, but thankfully, she never ordered from it.
Turns out, the site was completely fake, a copycat of the real brand’s website. Bobby never got any beef jerky, but the scammers got all of his information. It was a tough lesson, but an important reminder: always check the website before entering personal or payment details. Look for HTTPS in the URL, a padlock symbol for secure connections, or even run the link through a website checker tool to make sure it’s the real deal.