Often preying on empathy, urgency, and trust, financial fraud scams target our emotions along with our wallets. Recently, our Appleton team members Maria and Alyssa helped a customer avoid losing $10,300 to a convincing impersonation scam involving a supposed “military emergency.”
Why did the customer stop into the branch?
Alyssa: The customer arrived with a $10,300 cashier’s check and asked to deposit it. The customer said she wanted to immediately wire the funds to support what she believed were military leave expenses for a close family friend.
What raised red flags for you when handling the transaction?
Alyssa: I had several concerns:
- The request involved urgency and emotionally charged circumstances—common traits in scams.
- The customer was unaware of the full details behind the check.
- The situation involved a third-party check and immediate wire, a high-risk combination.
I informed the customer that the check would be subject to a hold and funds couldn’t be wired immediately.
What happened next?
Alyssa: We followed our risk management procedures and placed a hold on the funds. Once the customer learned the funds would not be immediately available, she decided not to move forward with the deposit. She mentioned her brother might try depositing the check at his bank to send the wire instead.
What was the story behind the urgent wire request?
Maria: When we followed up with the customer, she explained the situation. According to our customer a family friend—someone she had known since high school—claimed he was deployed in Somalia. The friend said his daughter lived in Washington, D.C. and was experiencing serious health issues. The friend claimed he needed money to cover emergency military leave costs, including travel and “replacement personnel” fees. The friend claimed his bank accounts were frozen due to his deployment, so he needed our customer to assist.
Several elements of this story are common scam narratives, especially the claims about frozen accounts and needing money for military leave, which the U.S. military never requires service members to pay out-of-pocket.
You helped the customer dig even deeper. What inconsistencies did you discover?
Maria: Upon reviewing the customer’s messages with her “friend,” and reaching out to additional sources we discovered:
- Details in the friend’s story did not align with known military procedures.
- A local military office confirmed that troops are not charged for emergency leave or temporary replacements.
- The supposed friend could not correctly answer personal questions from their shared past, raising even more concern.
How did the customer feel after you made these discoveries?
Maria: We were able to help the customer recognize the fraud before any money left her or her brother’s accounts. The customer ultimately did not deposit the check or send the wire—and expressed relief and gratitude that the scam was stopped.
What are the key takeaways for consumers?
- Military personnel will never need civilians to pay for leave, travel, or replacement staffing.
- A story that creates urgency, secrecy, or emotional pressure is a major red flag.
- Imposters often claim their accounts are “frozen,” especially during deployment.
- Requests to deposit a check and immediately wire funds are almost always fraudulent.
- If something feels off, ask questions and verify details with official sources.
- Impersonation scams are on the rise. Always be cautious if an old friend or acquaintance reconnects via social media and asks for money.
If you’d like help reviewing a suspicious message, check, or request, our team of caring bankers is here to assist. Preventing fraud is always easier—and far less costly—when we work together.