MARGATE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Margate woman said she and her husband were the victims of a debit card scam that has landed a man behind bars.
The 69-year-old victim, who asked to remain anonymous, said she hopes no one else goes through the ordeal she experienced.
“I was beating myself up. I’m killing myself that I fell for this thing,” she said.
The woman, who assists her physically challenged husband, said she received a call on her cellphone on July 18, 2018. She said the name on the caller ID was Bank of America.
The victim said the woman on the line informed her that her bank account had been hacked and made her go through a list of supposed transactions.
“She said, ‘OK, so now we have to get you new debit cards,'” said the victim, “and stupidly, I went though the house. I remember going crazy looking for the debit cards.”
Investigators said the so-called fraud investigator on the line sent 24-year-old Samuel Jean Renel Charles to pick them up.
“He was dressed, really, in a suit, like he was an executive at the bank,” said the victim, who said she was busy and distracted at the time she received the call.
The victim said she never received new debit cards, and about $7,000 was withdrawn from her account that day.
Police identified the suspect and took him into custody on Thursday. Detectives believe he is part of a sophisticated ring of people who make themselves look like bank employees but are really just thieves.
The victim said she hopes others will learn from her story.
“They’re so smart. Why don’t they put their smarts to something that’s beneficial instead of traumatizing innocent people?” she said.
Charles faces several charges, including larceny and fraud.
Officials advise consumers to hang up and contact their bank if they receive one of these calls, stressing that bank employees would never come to a home to collect debit or credit cards.
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