Police are investigating a reported scam in which a Schuylkill County woman lost nearly $6,000.
On May 31, police were alerted to a reported theft. A 55-year-old Barnesville woman told police that she received a text message on her phone from someone representing Chime Mobile Banking Company.
Chime says this text message scam is one of the most common methods of separating their clients from their money. The company says it does contact users by text message but it never refers to itself as a bank or banking company because it’s not a bank.
This scammer asked the Barnesville woman if she had recently authorized several charges. They then told the woman her Chime account had been hacked.
The fake Chime rep told the Schuylkill County woman to move money from her Chime app and any other accounts linked to it. She was then reportedly told to put all that money in her Apple Wallet.
A total of $5,810 was moved away from Chime and into the woman’s Apple Wallet.
After moving the money, the Barnesville woman surrendered all her account information to the phony Chime rep. It wasn’t until it was too late that the Barnesville woman realized that she’d been scammed.
Anyone with information on this reported theft is asked to call State Police-Frackville at 570-874-5300.
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