Security

Boston woman scammed out of $12K at ATM

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July 2, 2024

A Boston woman Megan Bates lost $12,000 during an ATM scam at a Bank of America ATM. After withdrawing money, a man called her back over to the machine and said there was still a $10 bill stuck in the machine and something was wrong with it, according to a report by WVCB.

The man then asked her for Bates' card and for her to enter her PIN number to close the transaction. Although the woman received her debit card back, she later realized that the card in her pocket was not her own but belonged to someone named Victor. She also discovered that $12,000 had been withdrawn from her account.

"Somehow, between when the card came out (of the ATM) again, he switched the cards," Bates said in the report. "I don't even know how he did it. Sleight of hand? I mean, the guy was a magician."

Bates has contacted the Boston Police Department and Bank of America. The bank itself said that the scammer made the withdrawals through a teller.