New Twist: Bank Imposters Use Video Calls for Fraud

It’s no surprise that scammers are contacting consumers with claims that there has been suspicious activity on their bank account or credit card. Sometimes they are cold calls, other times they are texts asking consumers to call a provided phone number. In both cases the consumer is connected with a scammer who says they need to verify the consumer’s identity, but NOW the scammer, in a new twist, switches the conversation from a traditional phone call to a video call (examples: FaceTime for Apple or Google Meet for Android).

Once the video call has begun, the scammer (who is pretending to be a representative of the consumer’s financial institution) asks the consumer to point the camera at their computer screen while they log into their online account or “screen share” on their cell phone. Both of these let the scammer see the consumer’s private login details and possibly other information in real time, such as answers to a security question or bank account numbers. The consumer may not even realize they are exposing their information.

Consumers trust that video calls are secure but should never allow a stranger to see private information during them. If consumers receive a text message from their credit card company or financial institution asking them to call, they should not call the phone number provided – instead, they should dial the number on the back of their card to avoid imposter scams. Remember: real bank representatives will never ask to see a consumer’s password or financial numbers. If a caller tries to use urgency or pressure to act quickly, that’s a red flag for a scam. If a consumer realizes during the video call that they are talking to a scammer, they can screenshot the call and include that image in reports to their phone company, local law enforcement, the FTC, or DATCP.