This summer, a 54-year-old metro Detroit woman got hit by a vicious bank scam that began when she received a call from someone pretending to be with her bank’s fraud department. It shockingly ended with a courier being sent to her Troy home to collect big cash.
These types of bank scams are hitting savers all across Michigan and elsewhere. The scammers work hard to ultimately convince victims that they need to withdraw all their money from their bank in order to “protect it” from scams. Clever logic, no doubt.
At the risk of repeating myself — and I definitely am repeating myself here — please do not believe anyone who calls out of the blue and very likely is only claiming to be from your bank to scare you into handing over your savings.
Consumers need to be on high alert, especially during a busy back-to-school season, for imposters who pressure them into thinking that something went wrong, maybe a crook gained access to an account, and the saver now must take quick action in order to protect the money in their bank account.
The Federal Communications Commission issued a special alert on July 21 to warn consumers about such bank impersonation scams where, if you end up a victim, you could likely lose all the money you have in your account.
Crooks have spoofed fraud prevention or customer service phone numbers belonging to U.S. financial institutionsincluding Bank of America, Chase Bank, and others, including even companies like Coinbase, according to the FCC.
The scam goes down like this: Suddenly, you’re shocked to receive a call or text with a “fraud alert” that supposedly requires you to authenticate your account by confirming key details or sharing personal information. Don’t do it.
Or maybe, the scammers lure you into a believing a ploy where they claim that your bank is working with authorities to investigate suspicious activity in your account. The big red flag here: You somehow need to move money to another account — or even hand over cash — to protect your savings.
Banks never, ever ask you to move money around — or buy gold or cryptocurrency — to protect your account.
Scammers tricked this Michigan woman into handing over cash
The Troy woman who lost money told police that the scam began when she was erroneously told that someone had received a $12,000 cashier’s check from her bank account by hacking into her computer.
The scammers convinced the woman to withdraw money from her account so the cashier’s check could not be cashed, according to the report made to the Troy Police Department on July 8.
She believed the caller was on the up-and-up after being unable to access any programs on her computer.
As part of the backstory, the con artists told her that a teller at her bank was suspected of being involved. And the woman was instructed not to talk to anyone at the bank when she went to withdraw the money.
“Shortly after withdrawing the money, a courier was sent to her house to retrieve the funds,” according to the Troy police report, which did not specifically state how much money was lost.
The woman realized it was a scam when the suspect tried to scare her into handing over more money by claiming that a second fraudulent transaction just hit her account.
The investigation remained active as of July 24, according to Sgt. John Julian, public information officer for the Troy Police Department. Police declined to provide further details, including how much money was lost to the scam.
Impersonation scams remain a real threat
The scammers love this nonsense because it’s a quick way to grab your money.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General said in July that the AG’s office has received reports that scammers are contacting consumers out of the blue and using spoofing technology to manipulate caller ID to display a real phone number from the Department of Attorney General.
In addition, Michigan AG’s office has received complaints of fraudsters claiming to represent the state of Michigan, demanding immediate payment for taxes through Bitcoin or prepaid gift cards.
The Federal Trade Commission said people reported losing $3.5 billion to a variety of imposter scams in 2025.
Some of the costliest impersonation scams start with a fake security alert, often from a bank, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Such losses often are limited, according to the FTC, only by the amount of money that’s available in someone’s account.
Con artists use phone providers to make tens of thousands of calls
Bank impersonation scams continue to evolve into more sophisticated pitches as crooks increasingly leverage AI and technology to make the story they’re telling sound more convincing.
Overseas crime rings use phone providers to make tens of thousands of robocalls over just a few days pretending to be from a financial institution’s fraud department, according to the FCC.
In April 2026, the FCC proposed a $4.5 million fine, for a phone provider that allowed tens of thousands of fake calls pretending to be from various banks to target consumers. Among other things, the Federal Communications Commission said it is working to ensure that all voice service providers are doing their part to identify and block bad traffic so it never reaches your phone.
It’s often wise to try to recognize a potential script that can be associated with a scam call, too, including scare tactics about a request for a password change. The FCC offered one example for a call made by scammers impersonating Coinbase, an online platform used by those buying cryptocurrency.
“Hello, this is Coinbase’s automated security system,” according to the woman’s voice on the call.
“We are reaching out to you as part of our standard security protocols. A password change request for your Coinbase account has been initiated due to a phone call customer support received. If this was not you, please press ‘1.’ If this was you, you may hang up.”
Some key strategies for avoiding scams
Listen to your inner voice if you suspect that something doesn’t sound legitimate. Some tips for protecting yourself from bank impersonation scams include:
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X @tompor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Michigan woman targeted by fraud rushed to bank and lost cash
Reporting by Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
