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SALT LAKE CITY -- Scams are a dime a dozen -- whether by email, telephone, text. The latest scam is targeted at Wells Fargo customers.
Matthew Lohmeyer was recently targeted by the scammers when he received a computer-generated phone call claiming to be from Wells Fargo. The message said: "Wells Fargo online to inform that your debit card status is now limited. To attend this issue and the activate your debit card, please press 1 now."
Yesterday we got six calls, the last one a 10 o'clock at night on our home phone.
–Matthew Lohmeyer
He said he knew this was a scam because "I don't even have a Wells Fargo card. I'm not with Wells Fargo whatsoever."
Even if he did have an account with the bank it's a scam. Bank spokesman Mark Chapman says it's extremely rare the company would ever call anyone to solicit personal information. If you don't know if the call is legit, he advises people to call the number on the back of their card.
Lohmeyer didn't fall for the scam, but he is concerned someone else might. He said, "I have grandparents who would be like, ‘Oh well, do we have a Wells Fargo card? I don't know. Better press one, better start doing stuff to get taken care of.'"
He is not the only one receiving this type of call. He said his sister, his mother and friends and family have also received the same kind of call claiming to be from Wells Fargo.
For Lohmeyer, the calls are constant and a huge nuisance. "Yesterday we got six calls, the last one a 10 o'clock at night on our home phone," he said. He can't block the number because each time he gets the call a new number pops up from the scammers.
He said the calls are coming from California, New Jersey, Montana, and Texas.
The Consumer Protection Agency and the Utah Attorney General's Office are aware of the phone calls. If you'd like to file a complaint with consumer protection, click here.
Email: lprichard@ksl.com
