Crime Stoppers: Fraudster poses as bank representative, steals thousands from Wichita woman | Home

WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) – Wichita police say it's a new scam that even the most skeptical people are falling for. Police are searching for a woman who posed as a bank representative and ended up stealing thousands of dollars from an innocent victim's account.

“I thought it was real,” said a Wichita woman who wished to remain anonymous. “They said, 'Someone charged $6,000 to your USAA credit card.'”

She told the woman on the phone that she had not charged that amount. The caller asked her for the card number and for any other credit cards she had in case someone had stolen her identity.

“They said in order for us to make sure these other credit cards weren't compromised, we need to see them so we can see how they were made,” the victim said.

The suspect then asked them to send their compromised credit card information back to the bank by mail.

“They even had the USAA address in Frederiksberg, Maryland,” the victim said. “They had the address, put it in the envelope and put a stamp on it.”

Investigators say the suspect went straight to the woman's mailbox, took the envelope and went straight to the bank. This scam is new to Wichita police.

“Our police investigators are not seeing any such trend,” said Kris Gupilan, Crime Stoppers coordinator. “But they are urging caution and urging citizens to be cautious as well.”

If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a representative of your credit card company or bank and asking for your personal information, police advise you to hang up and call the bank yourself.

If you recognize the suspect or know anything about this crime, call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Click here to see more reports from Crime Stoppers.