Scammers steal $15k from Omaha woman by cloning bank phone number

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Mobile oxygen helps her breathe, but Arlene Gibbs says it was a text that took her breath and money away.

"I'm out about $15,000," Gibbs said.

She received a scary message claiming her three accounts had been compromised. The text message from scammers she says was so convincing she moved her money, including her grandson's savings, out of her accounts and into Cash App for "safe keeping." But that allowed the scammers to get that money, and keep it.

Arlene says the text claimed to come from her bank's fraud department.

"I can look back now and say, 'Okay, maybe I should have saw this or that,' but it all started with messages and phone calls from Wells Fargo," Arlene said. "How would I know [the phone number] is cloned?"

A Wells Fargo alert video warns that scammers have spoofed or copied bank phone numbers to fool customers.

"Don't be quick to be able to act," said Margarita Alvarez, a Wells Fargo Fraud Expert. "Going back to always be sure you take the time to verify."

But Arlene says she did her best to do just that, and is asking a private debt resolution company called Green Credit to help convince Wells Fargo that the scam loss should be reimbursed.

"It comes from a spoofed number, okay, it may not be Wells Fargo's fault, but it's not he customer's fault either," said Marcia Ober with Green Credit.

Though Arlene claims the scammers knew how much she had in the bank, a letter from Wells Fargo says the bank did not find any evidence of identity theft or compromise involving her accounts.

"They claim nobody in their bank instructed me to transfer my money," said Arlene.

Richard Baier, the president of the Nebraska Bankers Association, agrees.

"It's disheartening for the industry and the consumers, but at this point, it's really up to the consumer to be aware and not provide any personal information," said Baier.

But Green Credit experts say the fact that three separate victims with losses totaling $37,000 have come to them, and that's alarming.

"There's too many of them," said Gale Streff with Green Credit. "One of our first clients literally was in Wells Fargo within an hour. You'd think they could pull that money back."

But Alvarez says it's not that simple.

"These are funds you are going to lose immediately and we won't be able to recover them," Alvarez said.

Arlene hopes Green Credit can convince Wells Fargo that she's an innocent victim who was tricked by scammers who misused the bank's phone number, but replied from the bank indicate she shouldn't hold her breath.

Wells Fargo says educating its customers against fraud is extremely important and it's providing customers with an online security brochure that has tips on avoiding scams. Also, the Nebraska Bankers Association suggests people put limits on how much can be withdrawn from their account at one time or in one day.