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Fort Pierce woman loses $2,000 in stimulus check scam

Police, bank now investigating
Posted at 8:52 PM, Jan 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-21 00:09:34-05

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — As stimulus checks go out to millions of Americans, scams to steal them from residents are popping up.

"It was a 1-800 number," said Yaneli Risco, who received the fake phone call. "It didn't come up as scam likely and it was an automatic recording from Apple."

Risco, a mother of four, received the call Monday.

"They transferred me to somebody and then that person started telling me that my Apple ID was compromised and that it was being hacked," said Risco.

Risco said whoever was on the other end of the phone call took more than $2,000.

Yaneli Risco, scam victim who lost $2,000
Yaneli Risco, a Fort Pierce mother of four, says she lost more than $2,000 as a result of a stimulus check scam.

"He told me to go into Zelle, all the way down to Zelle, and to enter the numbers," said Risco.

She said prior to sending the money, the scammer told her to download an app, allowing them to see her screen from another computer.

"I'm worried that I'm not going to get the money back and that it's going to be harder to survive," said Risco. "We don't know when there's going to be more help."

Risco said she wants others to be aware of this new scam.

"Maybe hang up the phone and call Apple support and ask them the questions," said Risco. "Don't just accept the call and believe everything somebody else is telling you, even though they sound real."