A 43-year-old Hingham woman received phony calls claiming a fraudster had impersonated her at a branch and was told to move $56,000 to a "new safe account." The callers insisted she stay on the line while completing the wire and falsely invoked "FDC up to $250,000" as protection. After contacting her bank directly, she learned the callers were scammers and reported the incident to police. The FTC advises hanging up, contacting your bank using official contact information, and reporting fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Scammers Posing as Bank Fraud Agents Prompt Woman To Wire $56,000 From Her Own Branch
Image Credit: Shutterstock.
A 43-year-old Hingham, Massachusetts, resident was deceived by phone scammers who convinced her to wire $56,000 from her own bank branch to what she believed was a secure account, police say. The calls were carefully staged to impersonate the bank's fraud department and to create urgency and trust.
What Happened
The scheme began about 6 p.m. on Aug. 11 with an unsolicited call claiming someone had entered a local branch earlier that day pretending to be the woman and attempting a wire transfer. The caller said the woman's account was likely compromised and that the funds needed to be moved to a "new safe account." Because the branch was closed, the caller said a follow-up would arrive the next morning.
The follow-up call came around 9 a.m. on Aug. 12. The caller instructed the woman to visit her local branch and complete a transfer into the "new account" to protect her money while an investigation proceeded. The scammers insisted she remain on the phone as she entered the bank so they could guide her through the steps. Following these directions, she completed a $56,000 wire using account information the callers provided.
Even after the transfer, she grew uneasy and called the same numbers again, asking explicitly whether she was being scammed. The caller reassured her, falsely claiming her funds were protected by "FDC up to $250,000." Investigators note that this was a misrepresentation: FDIC deposit insurance protects certain deposits if an insured bank fails, but it does not cover consumer losses from fraud or theft.
Confirmation And Report
Hours later the woman contacted her bank branch independently. Bank staff confirmed the earlier callers were not conducting a legitimate investigation and that the $56,000 wire had been sent to scammers. She reported the incident to Hingham Police on Aug. 12. The case remains under investigation; no suspects were publicly identified in the initial report.
Scammers' Tactics: Creating urgency, impersonating bank staff, asking the victim to stay on the line while completing transactions, and invoking fake protections to reassure victims.
How To Protect Yourself
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urges consumers to hang up if an unexpected caller tells them to move funds to "protect" them. Instead:
- Call the bank directly using a phone number from an official source (bank statement, card, or the bank’s website).
- Never allow a caller to stay on the line while you complete a transaction at a branch; this gives scammers control over the process.
- If you suspect fraud, contact your bank immediately to report the transfer and ask whether it can be reversed.
- Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to local law enforcement.
This incident is a reminder that even well-executed scams can fool careful people. When in doubt, independently verify with your bank before moving money.
Help us improve.
