Spoof scam callers using company caller IDs, real phone numbers to steal money from bank accounts

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Spoof phone calls where the caller ID has the name of a company, but is associated with a fake number, is a common scam.

People now need to be on the lookout for spoof calls that use the company's real number. The sophisticated spoof-scam cost a west suburban woman $2,000.

She spoke with the ABC7 I-Team about the ordeal.

"Today they called me four times. It's not Chase," Naperville resident Amy Skinger-Byrd said.

She has been getting flooded with fake calls. Her caller ID says "Chase Bank." and the phone numbers even belong to Chase. In fact, when the ABC7 I-Team called the numbers back, Chase Bank answered.

However, that doesn't mean it was really Chase Bank calling her.

A Chase Bank spokesperson said scammers can spoof the caller ID and even make it look like their real number is calling. Chase confirmed to the I-Team that the scam call in question did not come from them.

Skinger-Byrd said the caller told her he was trying to protect her from fraud, and he knew some of her transaction history. He told her that there was a person "trying to request $2,000. What we need to do is we need to stop these transactions."

Experts say some criminals get the information by stealing bank statements and hacking into emails, or they can buy personal information on the dark web to help them convince a bank representative they are someone else and then obtain their transaction history.

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"Things are getting so sophisticated," Skinger-Byrd said.

She said she didn't know the scammers were trying to access her account. They eventually convinced her to read them authentication codes sent to her phone, which gave them access to her account and allowed them to send themselves $2,000 through the Zelle payment feature on Chase Bank's app.

"If someone asks you for codes, do not provide any codes. Go straight to the bank," Skinger-Byrd said.

Chase Bank says if customers share information with a stranger, they are not protected under the bank's fraud protection agreement.

"These types of scams are heartbreaking," Chase Bank said. "We urge all consumers to protect their account by never sharing personal information with someone they don't know. Banks will never call, text or email asking customers to send money, but scammers will."

Skinger-Byrd filed a police report, and she is now working with Naperville detectives to try to find the scammers.

"$2,000 out of my account. Where did it go to? It didn't disappear. It went to someone," Skinger-Byrd said.

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Chase Bank says it will cooperate with police and reminds customers that legitimate representatives will never call and ask for information.

Anyone who thinks they are the victim of a fraud call should hang up the phone and call the number on the back of their debit or credit card on their own.

To learn more about common scams and ways to protect against them, visit www.chase.com/security-tips.