An Oregon couple lost a life-changing amount of money after attempting to call a customer service line for help logging back into Facebook.
The victims, who requested anonymity, were trying to sell items on Facebook Marketplace but ended up losing $44,000 in an irreversible wire transfer.
How It Happened:
The husband forgot his Facebook password and searched for Facebook’s customer service on Google. Unbeknownst to him, he landed on a fake site mimicking the real Facebook and called the listed 1-800 helpline.
At the time, he didn’t notice an additional letter in the website URL, a red flag indicating the site was illegitimate.
“They convinced me that his credit card had been hacked,” the wife explained.
Panicking about their money, the couple, both in their early 70s, followed the scammer’s instructions. The wife clicked on a link provided by the scammer.
“I clicked on it so they could have control over my laptop and talk to me on my cell phone,” she said.
The scammer, impersonating a Facebook employee, then showed her what appeared to be fraudulent activity on their bank account.
“They had me wire transfer a total of $44,000 to clean everything up,” she recounted.
Unfortunately, even the bank account page shown to her was fake. Now, the reality of the loss is sinking in as they realize they cannot recover the money.
“The last two weeks have been very stressful. I generally run 110/72 blood pressure. My blood pressure last week was close to 200/75,” she said. “I’m not going to trust a lot anymore.”
Recovering wire transfer funds lost in scams is extremely difficult due to their untraceable nature. If you fall victim to a scam, contact local law enforcement and your bank or financial institution immediately.