Editor's note: The videos above say the victim gave up her credit cards, but according to police, she actually gave up her debit cards.
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- Police in Hendersonville are warning community members about a complex scam that resulted in a woman losing $1,600, as well as the suspected scammers coming to her home.
On Wednesday, July 31, Hendersonville Police Department (HPD) said it took a scam report, elements of which are unlike anything that even veteran officers have ever worked.
"You don't want to be me. If you get a call and you don't feel it's 100% legitimate, call your bank," the victim urged.
The victim spoke to News 2, but she expressed concern about possible reprisal because the scam artists know where she lives.
The victim told News 2 it began with an authentic call from a spoofed number imitating her bank's fraud department.
"They were very smart. They knew exactly what they were doing. They were telling me all these charges taking place," she explained.
Instead of hanging up, the victim listened to the scammers' lies about fraudulent use of her debit cards and allegations that the chips on her cards were compromised.
"They wouldn't let me off the phone. They kept me on the phone the whole time," she recalled.
Every time she protested or expressed concerns, the victim said the suspects had an answer or a supposed supervisor to whom they could pass her on.
"They had enough identifiable information on me to make me feel like that they really were legit," the woman said.
The alleged supervisor lied to the victim, telling her the fake bank investigators were reportedly tracking a suspect using her cards repeatedly in Iowa.
To combat the problem, the suspects insisted they needed to come to her house, pick up her debit cards, and test the chips. They urged her to place the debit cards in the mailbox at her home.
The woman felt uneasy about doing this, but she said the con artists were so convincing that she did it anyway. Then, she saw a late model, four-door, silver Prius with tinted windows and black rims arrive. A man wearing a mask reportedly got out of the back seat, opened her mailbox, and took the cards.
Still on the phone, the victim asked why the man was wearing a mask. The scammers allegedly told her it was because of a new strain of COVID-19.
When the victim said she was going to call her local bank, she said the fake supervisor questioned why, claiming the local bank would not be able to do anything about the investigation they were supposedly tracking in Iowa.
According to authorities, in three hours, the woman's cards were used multiple times to the tune of $1,600. At the urging of her bank, she filed a police report.
"Why did you stay on the line with them all this time even though you had some weird feelings?" News 2's Andy Cordan asked the victim over the phone.
"Because they kept telling me they were stopping all these things as I was talking to them and I needed to stay on the line. I don't know," she replied.
HPD Lt. Jimmy Garrett has worked countless scams. He told News 2 many elements of this crime are complex and rarely seen.
"They're doing their research. They're going to know information about you. They know that people are going to ask questions. They're good at what they do," Garrett explained. "I mean, they know, 'Hey, alright she's questioning me, so I'm going to pass her off to my manager.' And they're able to spoof the phone numbers. I mean, that's how she legitimately thought that it was her bank. So, anyone's going to think, it shows up on caller ID as your bank, you're going, 'Okay, this is legit.'"
If you get a call and you're even remotely unsure of the legitimacy of the it, Garrett encourages you to hang up. Then, call your bank, call the 1-800 number on the back of your card, and call your local law enforcement agency.
According to Garrett, no institution will ever ask you to put your credit or debit cards in a mailbox or make your private financial info public.
Garrett said HPD plans to pull video and info from license plate recognition cameras around the time of the crime in an effort to locate the suspects who were driving the vehicle that stopped by the victim's house.
Meanwhile, the victim told News 2 the bank plans to cover the fraudulent use on her cards.
If you have any information about this case, you are asked to call the Hendersonville Police Department at 615-822-1111 or the Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-594-4113.