TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa mom lost more than $1,000 in a phone scam after a caller impersonated her bank's fraud department and convinced her to move money out of her accounts.
Nyktasia Fitzgerald contacted 2 News Oklahoma right after it happened because she doesn't want what happened to her to happen to others.
Fitzgerald said it all started with a phone call.
"He said his name was Jordan. The call came from — the caller ID said Oklahoma Central Credit Union on it, so I had no reason not to trust it. He said he was from the fraud department. And that my account had a high level of fraud," Fitzgerald said.
The caller told Fitzgerald she needed to move money from her checking and savings accounts to her Cash App to protect her accounts.
"So he could reset my account and then move it back to my new debit card, and when I moved it back to the new debit card, it was not my account, it was their account," Fitzgerald said.
Even as she followed the instructions, Fitzgerald said she felt something wasn't right. After hanging up, she called her bank and discovered it had never contacted her. What she found out next was worse.
"There was nothing they could do to help me because I made the transaction and they (the scammer) took everything I had — all of my savings, all of my checking, and all of my Cash App money," Fitzgerald said. "That was bill money, that was my kids' Christmas money. That was everything that I had, so now it's just paycheck to paycheck."
Fitzgerald said this was the first time she had ever been scammed.
"They got over a thousand dollars from me so it was everything that I had. It was awful," Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald was not aware of ReportFraud.FTC.gov, a Federal Trade Commission website that tracks fraud, before 2 News told her it is where scam victims can file reports. Victims can also file a report with the FBI's IC3 Internet Crime Unit and local police.
Scammers are getting much more sophisticated. They can use AI to make the voice on the phone sound like someone you know or like people in your area. They also spoof phone numbers to make it look like their calls are coming from people or institutions you know like your bank.
If you ever receive a call claiming to be from your bank saying there is fraud on your account, hang up and call the bank back using a number you know actually belongs to your bank. No one will be upset or think you are rude if you do — and it could save you from becoming a scammer's next victim.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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