Noel Phillips can\u2019t believe he was cleaned out so quickly \u2014 and easily.<\/p>\n
Noel Phillips\u2019 world was shattered after being robbed of thousands of dollars by business imposter scammers. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n
The New York millennial was bled dry earlier this year by a group of scammers who used phone number-spoofing<\/a> technology \u2014 software used to misleadingly alter caller ID information \u2014 to empty his bank account, taking all of his life savings, totaling nearly $30,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s devastating,\u201d Phillips, 33, a journalist and an NYC transplant from London, exclusively told The Post. \u201cI can still hear the voices of the people who called me, posing as employees of Chase Bank, claiming there had been fraudulent activity on my account.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey used fear tactics to basically hypnotize me into handing over all the money I\u2019d worked so hard to earn and save over the last four years,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Deborah Moss, a 65-year-old caretaker from Northern California, was previously thunderstruck by a similar wave of devastation when an imposter targeted her, draining her Chase account of a shocking $162,000 in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI started screaming like you wouldn\u2019t believe,\u201d Moss recently told The Post. \u201cI was, like, \u2018Oh, my f\u2014king God.\u2019 I was just hysterical. That was all my money.\u201d<\/p>\n Phillips, who\u2019d just quit his job before being scammed out of his life savings, says he\u2019s desperately tried to track down the fraudsters. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n That\u2019s the sinister trickery of business imposter scams, which have been on a steady rise<\/a>, outpacing romance scams, family and friend scams and tech support scams over the past five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The crime now ranks as the No.1 consumer complaint of 2025, per data provided<\/a> to The Post by the Federal Trade Commission.<\/p>\n As of late June, the FTC, which protects folks from deceptive and unjust business practices, has been inundated with over 516,000 imposter scam complaints \u2014 totaling almost $1.7 million in losses.\u00a0<\/p>\n To get their paws on a target\u2019s money, imposter scammers often call \u2014 or email, text or direct message \u2014 a victim, pretending to be a representative from a trusted, established company. They typically claim that there\u2019s been some sort of privacy breach or unauthorized dealings on their account.\u00a0<\/p>\n After spinning a falsified yarn about an alleged faux pas, the wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing create a sense of urgency and panic about the situation, convincing their prey to hastily transfer large sums of money or divulge personal information to avoid any further malfeasance.\u00a0<\/p>\n But in reality, they\u2019re the bad guys, siphoning cash and info for their own greedy gain.\u00a0<\/p>\n And imposter scammers don\u2019t limit their villainy to masquerading as reps for financial institutions like Bank of America or TD Bank \u2014 just two of the corporations that Upper East Side granny Nina Mortellito, 86, is suing in New York state court, alleging they failed to protect her<\/a> from a $700,000 con.\u00a0<\/p>\n In August 2023, she was allegedly targeted via a pop-up window that falsely warned that her bank accounts were about to be hacked, according to a lawsuit\u00a0filed earlier this month.<\/p>\n Over the course of nine months, Mortellito, who suffers from age-related memory issues,\u00a0was allegedly convinced by fraudsters to make a series of unusual withdrawals, totaling anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, from Merrill Lynch, TD Bank and UBS accounts, according to court papers.<\/p>\n Although the banks were aware she was vulnerable to scammers, they didn\u2019t raise any alarms, the lawsuit charged.<\/p>\n The Post has reached out to Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, TD Bank and UBS for comment.<\/p>\n Robert Georges, Mortellito\u2019s attorney, told The Post he\u2019s inundated with bank imposter fraud cases from victims plagued with \u201cdevastation, embarrassment, confusion and upset\u201d following the violation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this fear about how they\u2019re going to live without their life savings,\u201d he added. \u201cThis is a well-known epidemic in America. All the banks are aware that this is a major problem, but we don\u2019t feel that banks are doing a reasonable job to protect people. We\u2019re bringing these lawsuits to hopefully effect change.\u201d<\/p>\n Mortellito and her lawyer are seeking unspecified damages against the banks, whom they\u2019re suing for negligence, The Post previously reported.<\/p>\n Business imposter scams have risen steadily over the past five years. 2B \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n In addition to impersonating bankers in the name of fraud, ne\u2019er-do-wells also commonly pose as customer service staffers for popular retailers, delivery service couriers or utility company workers, just to name a few.\u00a0<\/p>\n Christopher Brown, a lawyer with the FTC\u2019s Division of Marketing Practices, calls the swindles \u201csophisticated\u201d and credits the prevalence of artificial intelligence with helping fraudsters seem legitimate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAI can certainly amplify the scams, making them more believable,\u201d Brown told The Post, noting the multitude of AI-powered spoofing and voice-hijacking tools available to perps. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to gain your trust, making you believe they are who they\u2019re claiming to be.\u201d<\/p>\n The Federal Communications Commission reports that US consumers receive approximately 4 billion spoofed calls<\/a>, including automated robocalls, from money-hungry scammers each month.<\/p>\n To combat the crisis, the FCC recently implemented its STIR\/SHAKEN framework. It\u2019s an industry-standard caller ID authentication technology that validates the legitimacy of calls<\/a>, allowing the phone company of the receiver to verify that a call is, in fact, from the number displayed on the caller ID.<\/p>\n Still, tech-savvy scoundrels manage to circumvent the blocks. Brown encourages folks to remain vigilant. <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t [automatically] trust the caller ID because it might be spoofed,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you should not provide financial information to someone who calls you out of the blue.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a mistake Phillips, who lives in East New York, wishes he could undo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Believing that the spoofed call was legitimate, Phillips followed the scammers\u2019 orders, transferring money into the \u201chidden decoy accounts\u201d that the impostors claimed they\u2019d set up in his name. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Just seconds before getting a phone call from would-be wrongdoers, he\u2019d received an alert from his Chase app, claiming an unauthorized transaction of $500 had been withdrawn from his account.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe timing of the call was immaculate,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cAfter they explained that my account had [been hacked], I immediately asked, \u2018Well, how do I know you\u2019re Chase Bank?\u2019 Then I hung up, Googled the number for Chase, and it was the same number that had called me.\u201d<\/p>\n But the thieves had spoofed the bank\u2019s phone number and immediately called back from it. He answered \u2014 and that would ultimately change his life for the worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Brooklynite remembers talking to at least five different people pretending to be bank staffers and law enforcement agents. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n \u201cThey proceeded to tell me that my account was under attack, and that they suspected employees at my local branch had stolen my personal details,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThey said they\u2019d launched an investigation, and that I needed to move my money into a hidden or \u2018decoy\u2019 account that already had my name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Phillips began panicking.\u00a0<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t just one voice scaring him into submission \u2014 there were at least five, even people posting as law enforcement and federal agents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere was the ambient sounds of a call center,\u201d added Phillips, now realizing the background faux noise was likely an AI sound effect tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd everyone had solid American accents,\u201d remembered the Brit. \u201cSo I\u2019m thinking, \u2018OK, this is not the typical call from abroad. This is legitimate.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cdevastating\u201d realization that he\u2019d just fallen victim to an imposter fraud was almost too difficult for Phillips to bear. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n After being transferred from one hustler to another, Phillips was instructed to go to his local Chase branch and transfer his money into several \u201cdecoy\u201d accounts they\u2019d created, instructing him not to disclose to any bank employees the reason for doing so.\u00a0<\/p>\n The scammers \u201cwere very good at manipulating me and telling me what to do,\u201d Phillips lamented. \u201cWhile at the bank, I secretly had them listening to everything that was happening through my ear pods.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until the final dollars of his $30K nest egg \u2014 cash he\u2019d stashed for extended getaways to Thailand and England \u2014 were transferred that Phillips realized he\u2019d been had.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was an agonizing aha moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember feeling so wounded,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cMy entire world just came crashing down within the few minutes it took to walk into the bank. I was completely devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n Deborah Moss tells The Post that she spent over a decade saving money in order to purchase a new house and do home renovations. photo by Chris Hardy<\/p>\n California-based victim Moss was targeted<\/a> by a fraudster who referred to herself as \u201cMiss Barbara,\u201d a rep for the bank, who called claiming that Moss\u2019 ATM card had been compromised and that she\u2019d be issued a new one in the mail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Miss Barbara, a sweet-sounding Southern belle, already had Moss\u2019 phone number, address and banking information. The chiseler claimed that all she needed from Moss was a three-digit code that she\u2019d received via text from the bank.<\/p>\n An unwitting Moss recited the code to Barbara, not realizing that those numbers were actually granting the bilker authorization to make a $32,000 wire transfer from her account.<\/p>\n And that was just the first grab.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both the FTC and the FCC warn that business impostors, including bank fraud scammers, are on the rise. NongAsimo \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Barbara called Moss for more than a week, each time claiming that her ATM card had been lost in the mail, and asking her to read off the new three-digit code she\u2019d been messaged.\u00a0<\/p>\n After more than 10 calls, an admittedly \u201cannoyed\u201d Moss, who\u2019d just relocated to a rural area with her partner, took the 40-minute trip into town to get a new card at a Chase branch.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, instead of a piece of plastic, the entrepreneur was given the shock of her life \u2014 and almost no sympathy.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe bank manager pulled up my account and said, \u2018There\u2019s no money in your account, whatsoever. As a matter of fact, in the last week, you\u2019ve [accrued a] $989 deficit that you owe us,\u2019\u201d she recalled, alleging that the worker threatened to have her removed from the premises if she didn\u2019t stop screaming.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI went to the cops, and they pretty much laughed in my face,\u201d Moss claimed. \u201cThey said, \u2018Oh, man, forget it. You\u2019ll never get that money back.\u2019 They didn\u2019t do anything. There was no investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Moss claims she reached out to her bank and the police, as well as local and federal government officials, for help. photo by Chris Hardy<\/p>\n Phillips alleges having a similarly unpleasant interaction with the New York Police Department immediately after being victimized.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI remember walking into the police station the same day this happened. I told an officer I\u2019d been scammed out of thousands,\u201d said the London native. \u201cHe laughed really loud and said, \u2018You\u2019re f\u2014ked.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was in disbelief,\u201d said Phillips, adding that he\u2019s more recently been contacted with an investigator, who allegedly \u201capologized\u201d for his colleague\u2019s conduct, and mapped out a plan to subpoena Chase for any information regarding the bank\u2019s accounts in which monies were transferred.<\/p>\n When contacted by The Post, a spokesperson for the NYPD\u2019s Deputy Commissioner, Public Information provided the following statement:<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a report on file for grand larceny, within the confines of the 75 Precinct. It was reported to police that on July 21, 2025, at approximately 08:00, a 33-year-old male received a call from an unknown individual claiming to work for Chase Bank who stated to the male that his account was compromised. The victim then transferred approximately $23,700 to two accounts that belonged to unknown individuals.\u00a0 There are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has been the victim of an apparent scam is encouraged to report it to the police so that detectives can conduct a complete and thorough investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Phillips and Moss were banking with Chase at the time of the scams, but fraudsters can impersonate almost any company. Tamara Beckwith\/N.Y.Post<\/p>\n Both Phillips and Moss separately claimed to The Post that Chase also failed to offer them any support toward bringing their respective vandals to justice or recovering their stolen funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger injustice than a scammer stealing money is when your bank doesn\u2019t help customers who fall victim to such a crime,\u201d said Phillips, noting that in the UK, financial institutions repay victims of fraud up to \u00a385,000 (approximately $113,000).\u00a0<\/p>\n Financial institutions in the US, however, are generally not required to reimburse victims of bank fraud under federal law, per the Government Accountability Office<\/a>, the investigative arm of Congress.<\/p>\n \u201cIn America, the last thing you expect is for your bank to turn its back on you,\u201d he griped, underscoring how \u201cstupid\u201d he\u2019s been made to feel for falling victim to fraud. Phillips is considering taking legal action against Chase. <\/p>\n \u201cAll my money is gone, and there\u2019s no guarantee that I\u2019ll ever get it back,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Chase declined to comment on the specifics of either Phillips\u2019 or Moss\u2019 claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thanks to her benefactor, Moss has been able to resume life with a renewed sense of trust in people. photo by Chris Hardy<\/p>\n However, they did share advice for avoiding similar attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cScammers are increasingly using technology like phone spoofing to impersonate trusted institutions,\u201d the rep told The Post, \u201cwhich is why we regularly remind everyone your bank will never call and ask for your account information, tell you to transfer money to \u2018protect\u2019 it, insist you lie to bankers about a transaction, or pressure you to act immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you encounter any of these red flags \u2014 whether by phone, text, email or online \u2014 hang up and call the number on the back of your card.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018All my money is gone, and there\u2019s no guarantee that I\u2019ll ever get it back.\u2019<\/p>\n Noel Phillips<\/p>\n The tips would have been helpful to Moss at the time of her violation. But even without them, she miraculously recovered every penny of her stolen funds \u2014 no thanks to the bank or law enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The six-figure sum came from a random good Samaritan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy story made national news, and I got a call from this lady who said, \u2018I saw your story on TV, and I want to write you a check for $162,000,\u2019\u201d recalled Moss. \u201cI didn\u2019t know her. It was totally crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n The kindly stranger \u2014 who Moss chose not to identify for privacy \u2014 was an elderly, wealthy woman from Napa County, California. She had no hidden agendas, nor any expectation for reimbursement.<\/p>\n She just wanted to do the right thing, says Moss, adding that the check was like manna from heaven that restored her faith in humanity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[The woman and I] don\u2019t talk much,\u201d she confessed. \u201cBut I write her every New Year, telling her she\u2019s changed my life.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019ll do that until the day I die.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are Chase Bank\u2019s tips for avoiding imposter scams<\/p>\n Owing to the prevalence of AI and spoofing technologies, authorities advise people against trusting the numbers on their caller IDs or the voices on the other end of the line. NY Post Design<\/p>\n Do not respond to phone, text or internet requests for money or access to your computer or bank accounts.\u00a0Banks will never call, text or email asking for you to send money to yourself or anyone else to prevent fraud.<\/p>\n If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, the best thing to do is\u00a0hang up immediately and call your bank at the number on the back of your debit or credit card.\u00a0<\/p>\n A bank will never call and ask you to verify information about your account, but we may need to verify information when you call us.\u00a0<\/p>\n Consider adding a call protector app to your phone to flag calls that are likely scams. Set up a code word with your close circle and always confirm callers by contacting them back on a phone number you know to be theirs.\u00a0<\/p>\n