Western Springs Woman Out $28K In Online Scam: Police

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A 69-year-old Western Springs woman was scammed out of $28,000 last month, with the suspect gaining access to her computer, local police said.

Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.

Last month, the woman, who lives in the 3900 block of Johnson Avenue, disputed charges on her Discover Card and ordered a new one. It arrived via FedEx on March 27.

When she was activating the card, she received a call on the WhatsApp Messenger service from a purported representative of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's anti-fraud department, according to the report.

She told the man that she had unauthorized charges on her Discover Card. The suspect instructed her to open an email he sent her and click on a "like" in the message, police said.

This gave the suspect access to the computer and even allowed the person to speak directly through her computer to her, the report said.

The suspect had the woman open her BMO Bank account, where he deposited $14,000 as a sign of trust, police said.

He had her log into her Charles Schwab brokerage account to verify funds. He then instructed the woman to wire-transfer $14,000, police said.

The money went into a Wells Fargo Bank account in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

The suspect prevented the woman from using her phone to verify his statements and kept her on the phone while she was doing the wire transfer, police said.

He instructed the woman to tell the bank that the transfer was for her nephew.

Police said the woman got suspicious after they ended their communication. She later found $14,000 missing from both her BMO Bank and Charles Schwab accounts, totaling $28,000.

Western Springs has been warning seniors about fraud. Just last month, local police held an event called "Scam Awareness For Seniors" at the senior center.

"The Police Department continues their efforts to increase public awareness about financial scams through information sessions, website posts, social media notifications, and by working with local banks," the village's spokesperson, Selmin Cicek, said in an email to Patch on Thursday.