75-year-old Florida woman loses $2,400 to Chase Bank and FTC impersonation scam involving gift card fraud

Summary

A 75-year-old woman in Manatee County, Florida, lost $2,400 to a scammer who impersonated Chase Bank and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The scam began with a fraudulent email that appeared to be from Chase Bank, claiming an unauthorized Apple Pro charge had occurred. The scammer, posing as a bank representative, instructed her to call a number and then transfer her to a fake FTC line, where she was given a case number and further directions. The scammer then directed her to purchase multiple gift cards from Lowe’s, Walmart, and Winn Dixie, totaling $1,400 in additional losses. After handing over the gift card numbers and PINs, she realized the scam and contacted local media, the FBI, and the real FTC. The FTC reported a 25% increase in fraud losses in 2024, with seniors losing over $2.3 billion to scams.