2 Pismo Beach residents almost fell victim to fake courier scam. Here’s how it works
The Pismo Beach Police Department warned residents about a new scam popping up in the community.
Twice this week, police responded to individuals who were contacted by someone posing as a bank representative — a con known as the “fake courier scam,” the department posted on Facebook.
In this scam, victims are convinced by scammers posing as bank tellers that their accounts were hacked and they needed to immediately withdraw funds to protect themselves.
Once the victim has withdrawn the cash, the scammer sends a fake courier to pick it up, and then steals the money.
In one of the local incidents, scammers even sent a driver to take the victim to the bank, police said.
In both cases reported to the Pismo Beach police, alert employees at the bank were able to stop the transactions and contact law enforcement before any money was lost, police said.
“We are grateful for the bank employees’ vigilance in stopping these scams, but we want to spread the word to help prevent others from potentially falling victim,” police said on the post. “This scam often targets elderly individuals, so please be sure to warn older family members or friends about it.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 4:45 PM.
