Scammers’ new scheme involves using texts to deprive bank accounts

Deborah Moss, the owner of a local catering company, was caught up in a complex bank fraud that began with a perfectly innocent text message. Deborah Moss’ experience serves as a shocking warning of the increasing threat posed by financial scams.

After working hard for more than ten years to establish her company, Moss has finally saved enough money to live a quiet life in the countryside of Guerneville, California. But when she got a text message claiming to be from her bank, Chase, asking about an unlawful $35 debit card purchase from another state, her aspirations started to collapse. At first, Moss reacted, disregarding it as a small discomfort.

Immediately after getting the text, Moss got a phone call pretending to be from Chase Bank; the caller ID identified the person as a Chase Bank employee. The person on the opposite end of the telephone introduced herself as “Miss Barbara” from the Chase ATM.