A Korean-American acupuncturist in Baltimore recently fell victim to a phishing scam, losing over $56,000, according to a report by local outlet ABC2 on December 5.
Kwon Hyeon-jin runs an acupuncture clinic and had reported stolen credit and debit cards in September before being targeted by a bank imposter. The incident began when a thief entered Kwon’s office during a patient consultation, stealing several credit and debit cards.
The thief used the stolen cards to make purchases totaling $2,300 at Walgreens and Walmart. Upon discovering the theft, Kwon immediately reported it to her credit card companies, which successfully canceled all unauthorized transactions.
Shortly afterward, Kwon received a phone call from a woman claiming to be an employee of Bank of America. She stated that she was calling to prevent a phishing attempt on Kwon’s account. Kwon verified the caller’s number through Google and found it matched Bank of America, further convincing her of the caller’s legitimacy. Moreover, the caller knew Kwon’s credit card number, which solidified her trust.
The caller then sent Kwon a link, claiming it was necessary to verify her information. Believing the request to be legitimate, Kwon clicked the link and entered his personal and banking details. The information was sufficient for the scammers to access his bank account.
Shortly thereafter, nearly all the funds in Kwon’s account—$56,000, representing her first-year earnings as a clinic owner—were withdrawn. Kwon contacted Bank of America, only to realize that she had fallen victim to a sophisticated phishing scam. Bank of America confirmed that the stolen funds had been transferred to an account at Chase Bank.
According to Chase, $13,000 of the funds were withdrawn via ATMs and in-person teller transactions. Recognizing the fraudulent nature of the transactions, Chase froze the remaining funds in the recipient’s account.
“I think this is probably one of the hardest things I’ve experienced in my life,” Kwon said. “The people that are committing the fraud, they’re very sophisticated. I think they are miles ahead of what the banks are doing. So, it just seems like we’re just open game for being hit with fraud.”
Bank of America and Chase Bank have stated they are working together to recover Kwon’s losses.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
