VISTA, Calif. —A local resident recently lost $24,000 to a gift card scam that involved her withdrawing large sums of cash from her credit union, CBS8 reported.
Jan Hoops told the news outlet the scam began with a pop-up alert on her computer, telling her to call a number for Microsoft.
When Hoops called the number, a man convinced her to withdraw thousands of dollars from her account at Mission Federal Credit Union.
“I withdrew money from three different Mission Federal (Credit Union locations), and then after that, he had me immediately go to a Lowes and buy gift cards to the tune of $1,000 on each gift card,” Hoops told the news outlet.
The scammer then convinced Hoops to read him the numbers off the back of the gift cards, which allowed the con man to cash in the cards, CBS8 said.
“The total damage is right around $24,000,” said Hoops.
CU Provides Statement
CBS8 said a spokesperson for Mission Federal Credit Union said she could not comment on a specific customer’s account, but provided a statement.
“At Mission Fed, the security and protection of our members’ financial information is a top priority, as is educating our members. Mission Fed employees are highly trained to recognize fraudulent activity, and we have procedures in place to inquire about the nature of any transaction with the safety of our members in mind,” the CU said. “But unfortunately, no individual or entity is immune to fraud - and it is on the rise.
“Mission Fed has made significant investments in services for our all our members and in trainings for our staff to help recognize and address the signs of a scam early, including automatically enrolling all Mission Fed cardholders in our fraud text alert service,” the CU continued. “We encourage our members – and all San Diegans – to educate themselves on the signs of a scam. In particular, Mission Fed will never ask our members to withdraw funds from their account. Mission Fed has a list of resources and tools available on our website, including a list of frequently asked questions, for those who want to learn more. Please visit www.missionfed.com/topic/fraud-identity-protection/.”
Hoops said employees at both Mission Federal and Lowes asked her about the large sums of cash she was requesting and handling, CBS8 said.
“They said, you know, this is a scam that's been going around. We've been seeing this lately, and we just want to make sure you're not under any duress or being coerced into this,” Hoops recalled.