Imagine going to an ATM to get $40 for lunch and realizing your bank account had been drained for thousands of dollars after you left the machine.

According to fraud investigators from major banks, this new devious scam is affecting hundreds of older customers in California, Florida, and Massachusetts. The scheme is so tricky, that customers don’t realize they have had their cards swapped until days later.

It Starts With A Helpful Good Samaritan

Doris Smith (not her real name) headed to the ATM before meeting her friends for lunch in Boston. After she pulled her card out, the machine beeped, prompting her to take her money out, which she did.

A helpful younger man waiting nearby called her back as she walked away. “You forgot to close out the transaction, mam”, he said while pointing to the machine. “You need to close the transaction so someone doesn’t take your money later.”

What a helpful young man, Doris thought to herself as she returned. She saw no money in the dispenser, but things looked okay. Maybe she was missing something, she thought to herself.

“Let me help you,” the young man said, “it can be tricky.” He reached for her card, and Doris gave it to him. The helpful stranger put her card in the ATM, had her punch in her PIN number. Then he pushed some buttons and gave her the card back.

“There you go, mam. You are safe now”, he said. Doris took her card, put in her purse and went on her way.

Like Pulling A Rabbit Out Of The Hat – $12,000 Comes Up Missing.

When Doris woke up the following day, she had a text alert on her phone. Her bank notified her that her account had been drained and she had no money left.

She called the bank and realized that someone had made over $12,000 in withdrawals the night before using her debit card.

She opened her purse, pulled out her card, and looked at it.

She was shocked to see that the card that kind stranger had returned to her the day before had the name “Victor” on it. This wasn’t her card at all! The stranger had kept her debit card and gave her a phony one back.

But how did the thief drain her account? Little did she know that he had spied her PIN number when she entered it at the machine and returned a fake card to her.

Later that day, working with a female accomplice, they went to various Bank of America branches and drained her accounts at ATMs and in the branch.

The thieves had created phony ID cards and used her debit card and PIN to convince the tellers that they were the real Doris.

It’s Happening All Over the Place Now

According to Fraud Investigators, scams are occurring at ATMs all over California now, and scammers are targeting older customers because they are more trustworthy.

Victims will not even realize what happens until they file a claim with the bank and the surveillance video footage is analyzed. Investigators will see the scam in action and witness the scammer loitering around the machines until they find a prime target.

Watch This Video For More Information

Watch this video if you want an excellent overview of the scam. Since this video was aired earlier this year, this scam has worsened considerably.