RICHMOND, Va. -- Wells Fargo customers were geo-targeted over the weekend in a text messaging phishing scam.
"The text message says please call Wells Fargo at, and it gives a phone number 862-621-0412 -- your immediate attention is needed," said Wells Fargo customer Lindsay Lewis.
After she received that message, Lewis, and many other Central Virginians were frantic that their accounts were in jeopardy.
"I was immediately concerned. I had just gotten paid and stuff I was like oh someone hacked my account and had taken my money," said Lindsay Lewis.
But it was actually Lewis who was about to get taken when she called the number on the text.
"I called they said okay what's your social security number, I entered it; it said what's your debit card number to pull up the account, I entered that and then the next question was what's your expiration date and then I was like 'Great Wow' and I hung up," said Lewis.
And that's when Lewis knew that automated call wasn't coming from Wells Fargo.
Now Wells Fargo is getting the calls from customers like Lewis with compromised accounts.
"Today it's just been growing," said Kristy Marshall, with Wells Fargo. "I think maybe over the weekend the area may have been geo-targeted for customers so this morning we have been busy answering phone calls and responding to customers coming in over the weekend.
"Unfortunately, I think the area was targeted," she added.
"You never think it's going to happen to you and usually I am smarter than that and I feel completely silly for falling for it but I did," said Lewis.
But Lewis says she won't let it happen again. She immediately canceled her card and contacted credit bureaus.
"I am not giving away any information period end of conversation unless I know 100 percent sure who I am talking to ," said Lewis. The bogus banking number Lewis called is now out of service.
"At Wells Fargo we are encouraging our customers to never respond to these messages," Marshall said. "Delete them immediately."
"If Wells Fargo needs to contact you we will call or send a secure message through your online banking account but we will always ask for you to come into our store for that information," said.
Wells Fargo asks that you report any suspicious correspondence to reportphish@wellsfargo.com.
