Toledo couple loses nearly $500 in bank fraud, wants to warn others

On December 27, 2024By Littum

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – After losing nearly $500 to scammers, a Toledo couple is speaking out in hopes of helping others avoid falling victim to the same scam.

The ordeal started with a genuine fraud alert from Citizens Bank telling Kathy and Joe Beaufait that someone had tried to use their debit card.

“I called the bank and they blocked my bank card,” Kathy Beaufait said.

Two days later, Kathy Beaufait got a phone call.

“It actually had the number of our bank on the caller ID,” Kathy Beaufait said. “He called me by name. He told me he was from the fraud department and I figured they were following up.”

When the caller started asking questions, Kathy Beaufait answered and began giving out sensitive information.

“Even though I was uncomfortable, he made me think he was really from the bank, and he wasn’t,” she said.

Her husband was also skeptical.

“I said, how do you know it’s the bank?” said Joe Beaufait. “So she shows me the ID. She looks at it and she says, ‘same number that’s on your debit card.'”

The scammer used an ATM to steal nearly $500 from their account, money the Beaufaits say Citizens Bank is refunding.

“It could have been a lot worse. They would have wiped me out,” Joe Beaufait said.

It has been a huge headache for the couple, who had to have new bank accounts. They also had to call the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs and any entities that take automatic payments out of their accounts.

“Tell them no. Hang up and call the place yourself, that’s all I want people to know because it’s horrible to go through everything we’ve been through,” said Kathy Beaufait.

Citizens Bank sent a statement:

“At Citizens, it is a top priority to protect our elderly customers from fraud and financial exploitation. We have robust policies and procedures in place to identify and respond to suspected elder financial abuse. These include monitoring for unusual account activity, providing our colleagues with elder abuse specific training to recognize signs of exploitation and ensuring timely reporting to the appropriate authorities when necessary.

In addition to these safeguards, we offer services designed to support and protect our elderly customers. These include account monitoring tools, fraud alerts and educational resources to help customers and their families recognize and prevent fraud, including information and tips for seniors that can be found on the Citizens website: https://www.citizensbank.com/learning/helping-family-phone-security.aspx).

Fraud can happen to anyone at any time, and according to an AARP survey, nearly 80% of adults over the age of 65 have experienced or been the victim of some form of fraud. We encourage families to talk about the risk of fraud and what they can do to protect themselves. If you may have been targeted, we encourage you to contact your bank and law enforcement immediately. The faster you act, the faster the experts and authorities can help.

At Citizens, we are committed to promoting a safe and secure banking experience for all our customers, especially our senior community, and continually evaluate our practices to address evolving risks,” said Brendan Goode, Chief Security Officer of Citizens Financial Group.

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