Scammers are getting smarter, this is not news. But the last text message we saw come from a Wells Fargo Text Message Scam concerning Debit card fraud protection. What is interesting in this one, is that the scammers show you the actual 4 numbers of your card. The first 4, not the last! If you received a text message similar to the one below (or pictured), DO NOT RESPOND. IT IS A SCAM.

I was surprised, and my first reaction was “Someone can easily think it’s real, and under stress, reply “NO” to that message”. I will just try to put it in situation. You’re going on about your day, and you receive a text message like this:

WELLS FARGO: A purchase of $921.59 at WALMART #449 in MESA AZ on debit 4342**** Reply “YES” to approve, if this was not made by you reply “NO”

You know the feeling when you forgot to cancel a recurring payment and you get that notification, you stress and get upset (or maybe it is just me!), same with this text message, you have an account with Wells Fargo (it can happen with any banks as we will explain below), and you get a message that “someone” tried to make a purchase for $921.59 at Walmart (Scammers were lazy and the Walmart #449 is located in Port Arthur, TX) and not MESA, AZ, then you see the debit card digits, 4342****. At this point, you might suspect it’s a scam, but if you’re not totally aware, you will check your Wells Fargo debit card number, and surprise, your FIRST 4 digits are, in fact, 4342. Under stress and to make sure to don’t get your funds taken away, you reply with “NO”. Then you might get a phone call (from a spoofing number) and a scammer will try to get your money. It can be from a Zelle Transfer (to make sure to secure your funds (SCAM, Do not do it)). Wells Fargo or most of the banks, will never call you for that, what will happen is you will get an email or a notification on your account (web or app) and from there you can check your suspicious activities.

Now, how did they find out about your card number? They did not. Usually, and for most transaction receipts etc. The numbers showing are the LAST 4. Never the FIRST 4. The first number (4) is the generic number for VISA card, 5 for Mastercard. Then the following 3 numbers are connected to Wells Fargo. You can find list of Issuer Identification Number (IIN) for credit card issuers online pretty easily.

One thing you should do if you’re not sure and worry about unlawful use of your card, is locking it right away. Most banks offer apps where you can do that in one click. Then, when the card is locked, you have time to check your pending transactions, or calling your bank (make sure to don’t call numbers from text messages) (check on the official website for customer service number).

Scammer keep doing it because it is working. This is why you always need to be alert and aware of new kind of scams and frauds going on. One easy way is to of course, come back often on our website to check our Latest News page, or you can also check our service “Is this a Scam?” And we will be on your side to explain you more about scams or any questions you may have related to them.