The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office is cautioning people about phone scams after a 68-year-old Wichita woman lost over $15,000 last week.
The woman received a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon and saying that her account shows she had just purchased a cellphone. The woman told the caller she did not buy a cellphone, and she was then told she was being transferred to her bank. The next person said he was transferring her to the Federal Trade Commission to report a scam, and that’s when she was convinced to move everything in her bank account to cryptocurrency.
The DA’s Office said you should never allow anyone to transfer you to your bank. You should call your bank directly by using the phone number on your bank statement or the back of your debit or credit card. In addition, the government will never ask you to move your money to cryptocurrency.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of this or any other type of scam should report it to local law enforcement. Questions can be directed to the DA’s Consumer Protection Division at 316-660-3653 or by email at consumer@sedgwick.gov
