NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – If you transfer money using an app, you’ll want to know about this scam.
Like many people, a Nixa couple used Facebook Pay to send and receive money. They thought they got a message from a friend. Turns out, it was all a lie and they lost hundreds of dollars.
“I can’t pay my bills. I can’t do anything. I don’t have money,” said Jamie Fargo.
Scammers stole from this family of six. Jamie and Shawn Fargo did not think they’d be duped.
“If this happened to us, and we are careful with our stuff, it’s going to happen to anybody,” said Shawn Fargo.
It all started with a Facebook message from a friend. It reads: ‘Look who died.’
“I had gotten rid of a dog, maybe two or three years ago,” said Jamie Fargo. “I thought the dog had passed. So I clicked on it, not knowing. And it snowballed from there.”
The hacker was in Jamie’s account. Then another friend got an $800 payment message from Jamie. Remember, Jamie is not really behind the screen. The message says: Haha I sent it to you by mistake, send it back. The friend complied. The hacker changed Jamie’s bank info on Facebook Pay and was able to pocket the $800. That friend sent Jamie a text, asking if she really sent $800.
“I’m like, I didn’t,” she said.
Thanks to that friend notifying Jamie, the hacker did not get more. Jamie had another device logged in.
“She was able to get back in, change her password and lock them out,” said Shawn Fargo.
Shawn and Jamie are working with their credit union and hope to reverse the charge, but that could take more than one week. In the meantime, they’re done with Facebook Pay. They’ll no longer keep a bank account connected to their Facebook.
Tips from On Your Side
If you use these payment services, many require a debit card. Make sure you have fraud alerts from your bank. Those protections might save you if this happens.
If you get a message from a friend with a link, be suspicious. Ask a question before you click. Or delete the message, and write on your friend’s wall — ‘Were you hacked?’
If your account was hacked, change your password. Tell your Facebook friends so they don’t lose money. Make a status update about what happened.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com
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