My son just had a strange thing happen and I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts about it?

From son:

My Bank says they got a call from my phone yesterday at 4:58. The caller knew my personal info and bank info but only transferred money from my savings to my checking. I just happened to open up my bank app on my phone and saw that there was a transfer and it said it was telephone assisted transfer. I called the bank to see what that was about.

They said it was weird. I’m lucky all they did was transfer money from my savings to my checking and not withdrawing. They said I could put a password on it which I did so but I’m still a little worried. I asked which phone the call came from and they said it was my phone from this number.

The phone was with me at 5o’clock waiting to clock out from work!!!

PS - His phone software is up-to-date.

I suggested he close out the account and reopen a new one with a password.

 

That is very strange. Someone would have had to know a number of pieces of info to do that, only to move between his own accounts?? Sounds to me like whomever did it would likely have access to his checking account, and was trying to move the money so they could spend as much as possible using his check card number (safer than physically going to the bank to pull out money directly). I would immediately report that is fraud and like you said, change accounts as I would be worried that checking account will be emptied pretty quickly.

Still very odd someone got enough info AND spoofed his cell phone number though.

 

Very strange, indeed! Does your son have a GF? Or anyone else who may write checks using his account?

 

No - we wish he would find one; one that makes more than he does!

 

He is changing back accounts and his phone number.

 

Make sure he gets a new SIM card. someone may have cloned his phone.

 

I'm wondering if this might've been done internally, by a bank employee. The transfer from savings to checking could make it easier for someone to withdraw the money. I think I'd ask the bank's internal audit department to investigate this. It seems too coincidental that anyone on the outside could have all of the necessary information to break into his account.

 

Rob-

I don't think its as unlikely as you think, but wouldn't put it past something internal.

Changing accounts and phone, as intrusive to daily life as it is, is probably a very smart and safe choice.

Requesting a fraud and audit investigation makes sense, and you'd hope that the branch manager would have already started that process without being asked.

 

Thanks Jerry, I passed that along. Plus the suggestions that a fraud investigation should be started.

 

I was going to suggest a family member may have been involved, but the fact that they listed the cel phone number makes it sound more nefarious. My wife's cel phone and my cel phone have been spoofed in past months, where the punks call others with your cel phone number, and you get calls from people claiming that you called them (usually lasts about 24 hours). It sounds like someone spoofed your son's cel phone number but they also had access to his banking information as well. Either that or there is some shady bank employee working at that bank and doing weird stuff. Sometimes small innocent transactions are just precursors to other transactions that follow at a later date and are more serious. Good thing the changes have been made IMO.