HINGHAM, MA — Police in Hingham are warning residents after a 43-year-old woman said she was tricked into wiring $56,000 to scammers who posed as bank fraud investigators.
The woman reported the case on Wednesday, saying the scheme began with an unsolicited phone call the previous evening. Investigators say the caller claimed someone had tried to impersonate her at a bank branch and warned that her account was at risk.
Caller claimed account was compromised and pushed a “safe account” transfer
According to police, the caller told the woman her money needed to be moved out of the compromised account and into a new safe account. She was told someone would follow up the next morning because the bank was closed.
When the call came back around 9 a.m., the woman was instructed to go to her local branch and stay on the phone while completing the transfer. She then wired the money to numbers provided by the caller.
Scammer reassured her with fake protection claims
After the transfer was complete, the caller told her an investigation was underway. The woman later phoned back to check whether the request was legitimate and was told her money was covered by the “FDC up to $250,000.”
Hours later, she grew suspicious enough to contact the local bank branch directly. That call confirmed she had been scammed.
Police continue investigating as incident serves as a warning
Police say the incident is under investigation. They have not identified any suspects in the report.
The case is being described as a cautionary tale about phone scammers who pressure victims to act quickly, keep them on the line, and use fake banking terms to sound credible.
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