Be aware! This scam targets military members
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office was recently contacted by a man who fell victim to a scam targeting members of the military.
The victim says he was approached in a parking lot by a man who claimed he was former military and needed assistance with money until his bank card (in this case Navy Federal Credit Union) arrived. The scammer stated he would need the victim to transfer money from the victim’s NFCU account and he would then transfer the money back to the victim through Apple Pay.
The victim offered to help the man and asked him for his account number, at which point the scam artist took his phone saying he would enter the account number. The scammer took several minutes, during which time the victim later discovered he had accessed the victim’s account and applied for a loan through the account without the victim's knowledge.
The victim said that at a certain point, he began fearing for his or her safety, and went along with the scammer's request until he or she could get away.
The victim stated that after a few minutes, he found out the man had turned on notifications for the loan process, completed the process without the victim's knowledge, and was able to send money from the victim’s Navy Federal Credit Union account to his (the scammer's) account using Cash App.
The victim lost $3,500.
For awareness purposes, we wanted to make sure to spread the word about this scam.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Consumer Protection Unit asks that you be mindful of who you are exchanging money with and reminds you to never share your account information with people you don’t know.
If you've been subjected to a scam attempt like this, please contact the Norfolk Sheriff's Office's Consumer Protection Unit to file a report.