5 minBusiness
Siri-Provided Number Leads Elderly Woman Into Bank Scam
An 82-year-old Massachusetts woman nearly lost her retirement savings after asking Siri to call American Express and reaching a fake customer service number, highlighting a growing scam that exploits voice assistants and bank impersonation.
An 82-year-old woman from Concord, Massachusetts, narrowly avoided losing her retirement savings after a routine request to Siri connected her to a fraudulent customer service number, according to her account shared with a consumer technology columnist. The incident, which began when she asked the voice assistant to call American Express, escalated into a complex bank impersonation scheme that nearly cost her $100,000.
Virginia, who asked that only her first name be used, told the columnist she needed to contact American Express and instead of dialing the number printed on her credit card, she asked Siri to place the call. The number Siri provided was bogus. From there, the conversation was transferred to what she was told was her Bank of America account, where a supposed security expert claimed she had received a $1,000 credit. That figure quickly ballooned to $100,000, and the man on the phone told her the error could not be corrected. He then instructed her to go to a Bank of America branch and return the excess money.
Virginia grew suspicious when the zeros kept adding up and the caller insisted the mistake was irreversible. She hung up and immediately froze her Bank of America account. In a letter to the columnist, she wrote that she never expected a number provided by Siri to lead to trouble and that she could have lost her entire retirement in one fell swoop. She now tries to warn others that simply making a phone call can put finances in jeopardy.
The Better Business Bureau has previously warned that fake customer service numbers can surface through voice searches and has documented cases involving Siri and other voice assistants where people believed they had reached a legitimate company. Scammers can promote bogus support numbers that make their way into online search results, and voice assistants may then use information pulled from those results or related business listings. Apple says business information can appear across its services, including Maps and Siri, and that place cards can include phone numbers and other business details. The company did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Based on Virginia's account, the scheme appears to chain two common scam techniques. First, a fake customer service number intercepts the call. Then, a refund or overpayment scheme is used to persuade the victim to send real money back. Bank of America warns about criminals who pose as bank representatives and invent urgent problems involving a customer's account. Scammers may ask for verification codes, remote access, or money transfers. The sudden jump from a $1,000 credit to $100,000 is a classic red flag in overpayment scams, where fraudsters claim they accidentally sent too much money and pressure the victim to return the difference before they have time to verify what happened.
Virginia's experience highlights a vulnerability that many consumers overlook: the origin of a phone number before they dial it. Because she initiated the call herself, she had no reason to be on guard, which gave the person who answered an immediate advantage. Voice assistants can add another layer of trust because users may never see the number before the call begins. The incident also underscores the importance of using verified contact information from official sources, such as the number on the back of a credit card or a bank statement, rather than relying on a voice assistant's search results.
While it remains unclear how the specific bogus number became associated with Virginia's request, her story serves as a cautionary tale for anyone who uses voice assistants to place calls to financial institutions. The Better Business Bureau and consumer advocates recommend that people independently verify customer service numbers and never share sensitive account information with unsolicited callers. Virginia's quick thinking—recognizing the absurdity of a $100,000 error and freezing her account—prevented what could have been a devastating financial loss.
