Charlotte County woman says she lost $9K in spoofing scam

Nicole Gilley says she lost $9,000 in a spoofing scam after being deceived by a caller who impersonated her bank. “I'm still so embarrassed about it. I'm crying constantly because it's kind of ruined a lot,” Gilley said. “He sounded very professional. Like, ‘Hi, my name is Michael. My ID number is blah, blah, blah. I'm from the business fraud department at Regents. I just wanted to discuss a purchase or whatever,'” she added. Although the caller ID matched her actual bank’s name, Gilley thought something was up.“I even verified with them, saying, ‘Is there any way you can verify with me?’ They sent me a text message off their Regents text line,” she said. After receiving what appeared to be a legitimate verification, the caller told Gilley her account had been compromised and instructed her to change all her information. “He gave me my new credentials and told me to text back the old ones. That is what really messed me up,” Gilley said. The text cost her $9,000. Fraud experts warn that scammers often make requests banks would never ask for. Christina DePari, risk management officer at Edison National Bank, shared tips to avoid falling victim to such scams. “A bank calling will never, ever, ever ask you for your information, your passwords, your multifactor codes, your PIN numbers, nothing,” DePari said. She also outlined steps to take if your information has been compromised.“First, contact the bank. After you contact the bank, you want to contact either the Federal Trade Commission or your local police department. They can investigate much further than we can, but we can stop the fraud by immediately blocking your account, changing your passwords, changing your online banking ID, protecting you immediately so that no further fraud happens,” DePari said. While deputies investigate Gilley’s case, she remains hopeful.“Everything happens for a reason. It will all get better,” she said.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.