There’s no shortage of dangerous scams out there, and one woman is risking her job to inform people about a serious one that is wreaking havoc on many lives.
In a viral video that has racked up over 1.2 million views and 93,000 likes, TikTok user Laksmy Sanchez (@laksmysanchez) warns viewers about a ploy that her customers have frequently fallen victim to.
“I don’t even know if I’m allowed to make this video right now,” the woman began the clip.
Though issuing the warning could have negative ramifications for Sanchez, she still decided to share the message after spending hours of her workday trying to assist a customer who was scammed.
“There is an epidemic of scammers going on right now,” she said.
The banker then explained that scammers have been contacting customers via phone and stealing their information by pretending to be workers at their financial institution.
“Customers are getting calls on the phone or text messages where they say ‘somebody attempted to make a withdrawal or transaction on your account,'” she said.
Unsuspecting customers then provide their crucial private data to the scammers.
“The people willingly give out their information,” she continued. “They willingly give out their account numbers, their online banking IDs, their passwords, their credit card numbers.”
Once fraudsters get a hold of this data, they wire money out of their victims’ accounts.
@laksmysanchez PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE YOU THINK COULD BE A POSIBLE VICTIM OF THIS! Especially the elderly! It’s getting INSANE! #PSA #SCAMALERT #BANKINGSCAMALERT ♬ original sound – 𝙻𝙰𝙺𝚂𝙼𝚈 𝚂𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙷𝙴𝚉 🪸
There has been a widespread increase in bank-related fraud and scams in the past few years. New data from the Federal Trade Commission found that bank impersonation is the most common type of text message scam, accounting for $330 million in reported customer losses in 2022.
Many banks have also issued educational notices to their customers about identity theft. Bank of America’s website includes an entire webpage dedicated to exposing the red flags associated with common scams. The site warns that account holders should be wary of any unexpected calls, emails, or text messages from scammers posing as bank workers.
“Scammers may pose as an employee from a familiar organization, such as Bank of America and say there’s a problem that needs immediate attention,” the site warns. “Do not act unless you have verified the person who has contacted you and the story or request is legitimate.”
The bank also warns that customers have no option for recourse if they fall victim to one of these scams.
In the comments section of Sanchez’s video, many users shared similar stories and their own tips for avoiding banking fraud and scams.
“This happened to me!” Nadia K. commented. “They called from Wells Fargo’s #. I googled it and everything. They cloned the number!! Thankfully I didn’t fall for it.”
“ALWAYS HANG UP,” user Kathy G A urged. “Call your bank yourself at a number you look up!”
“I work at a bank and this happens all the time,” user Christina P said. “We had someone today same situation.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Sanchez via TikTok comment for more information.