What Amazon, the FTC and the CIA won't say if you've been scammed

When the New York magazine financial advice columnist quit an article that went viral on Thursday about falling victim to a $50,000 scam made my heart jump.

My own financial planner does went to prison years ago, which I had written down in a few columns. Almost all of us are vulnerable to scams, at least sometimes. What would I have done if someone called and insisted that my children in particular were in grave danger?

The author, Charlotte Cowles, who once had a weekly business column at The New York Times, described crooks who told a fantastic story: First they posed as Amazon and told her she had been a victim of identity theft. Then a thief passed her off to someone posing as a Federal Trade Commission investigator, who told her that nine vehicles, four properties and 22 bank accounts were in her name. Finally, an alleged “lead investigator” for the Central Intelligence Agency convinced her to withdraw money from her bank and deposit it for safekeeping while her husband and son watched.

But what would any of those entities do if they thought one of us was? Actually victim of a form of identity fraud? What would they say, ask and tell us to do?

I called them all and asked. This is what they said.

Amazon has no direct line to the Federal Trade Commission.

Ms. Cowles' story begins with a phone call in October purporting to be from Amazon, when a woman on the line told her about $8,000 in fraudulent purchases and said she was a victim of identity theft.

The woman then offered to connect Ms. Cowles to Amazon's contact at the FTC. Soon he was on the line.

But Amazon does not transfer customers to the FTC or any other government agency, spokesman Tim Gillman said.

The company will sometimes call people to verify account activity, which will likely become much more difficult as Ms. Cowles' story continues to go viral. But if the call seems suspicious, just hang up and contact them directly through the Amazon app or website.

“Do not call numbers sent by text or email or found in online search results,” Mr Gillman added. And if anyone suggests that you download or install Amazon customer service software, don't do it.

The FTC does not offer a badge number.

When Ms. Cowles was on the phone with the alleged FTC investigator, he provided his badge number and asked about the contents of her bank account.

On Thursday afternoon, Lina Khan, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, said: posted on X: “Being a victim of scams can be devastating. A reminder that no one from @FTC will ever give you a badge number, ask you to confirm your social security number, ask how much money you have in your bank account, wire you to a CIA agent, or text you out of the blue to steer .”

Coincidentally, the FTC came out on Thursday rounded a new rule that gives him more powerful tools to fight criminals masquerading as companies. Consumers reported fraud losses of more than $10 billion for the first time in 2023 according to the agency, an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year.

Last month the FTC issued this a warning about fraudsters trying to get you to move your money to a safer place. It was very similar to what had already happened to Mrs. Cowles.

The CIA probably isn't going to call you.

Before the FTC impersonator tricked her into transferring her money, she wanted to pass her along to the lead investigator on her case, who reportedly worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. She had her doubts, but he called from what she thought was the FTC's main phone number.

She thought he might be “spoofing,” using tools to pretend he was actually calling from that number. But he soon moved on and told her not to talk to her husband or a lawyer about the situation. The exchange soon turned into freezing her assets and issuing a replacement Social Security number.

The CIA declined to comment on the incident. But the website makes a few points that are relevant. The agency collects foreign intelligence and carries out covert actions. 'We are not a law enforcement organization' the site says. And while it may work with law enforcement agencies, it usually involves issues like counterintelligence and terrorism.

Are FAQ goes into even more detail, noting that it “does not require employees/contractors to obtain security of money or personal information (such as your Social Security number, driver's license, or banking information) in order to enter into a relationship.”

Nevertheless, Ms Cowles' contact told her to go to her bank and withdraw $50,000 – and not tell the bank why.

Banks might not stop you from leaving their branches with a backpack full of $100 bills.

Mrs. Cowles did as her CIA nanny told her. At a Bank of America branch, someone directed her up the stairs, where a teller handed over the money a piece of paper with some warnings about scams.

“When I went in, I was honestly hoping they would say no to my admission or make me wait, but that didn't happen,” Ms. Cowles told me via email. “The fraud warning made me think for a moment, but the scammers had not yet told me to give the money Unpleasant I didn't feel like it really applied to my situation. Plus, I was so afraid of what would happen if I didn't follow the instructions that it destroyed my skepticism.”

Mrs. Cowles is not an elderly person. If so, the bank teller might have slowed things down a bit. Banks are very concerned about elder fraud and will close any account someone has if they suspect something untoward.

Ms Cowles said she was not targeting Bank of America as it was in fact her money she was withdrawing. But do banks typically hand over large amounts of cash?

“We have extensive efforts to warn customers to avoid scams,” Bank of America spokesman William P. Halldin said via email. The bank declined to comment further.

“We do not limit customers' access to their funds,” Justin K. Page, a Chase spokesman, said via email. “However, there are cases where funds are held for additional verification. This also applies to cases where one of our bankers suspects that our customer may be accompanied by someone who appears to be putting pressure on him. We train our bankers to pay attention to this.”

Hijackers are in brains, not airplanes.

The thief posing as the CIA agent eventually told Ms Cowles to hand over the money. He said that after all, she would be charged with money laundering; If the agency could convert the money into a check from the government using its new Social Security number, it would get $50,000 clean.

This sounds ridiculous. However, it also created a contradictory internal dialogue.

“People who have always used their brains don't pay attention to their emotions, and I think we should pay attention to what our bodies are telling us,” said Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support for AARP's Fraud Watch Network. “The intestines are basically a scientific dump of chemicals. I have had countless victims say to me, “My gut told me not to do this, but my brain told me to do it.”

Eva Velasquez, who has seen it all as president of the Identity Theft Information Center, viewed the situation in the same way. “The bad actors are hijacking our brains,” she said. “And it works, because we are all human after all.”

Tara Siegel Bernard reporting contributed.