TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – After losing nearly $500 to scammers, a Toledo couple is speaking out in hopes of helping others avoid falling victim to the same scam.

The ordeal began with a real fraud alert from Citizens Bank, telling Kathy and Joe Beaufait that someone had tried to use their debit card.

“I called the bank and my bank card was blocked,” Kathy Beaufait said.

Two days later, Kathy Beaufait received a call.

“The caller ID actually had our bank number on it,” Kathy Beaufait said. “He called me by name. He told me he was from the fraud department and I assumed they would investigate.”

When the caller began asking questions, Kathy Beaufait responded and shared confidential information.

“Even though I felt uncomfortable, he made me think he was really off the bench, and that wasn’t the case,” she said.

Her husband was also skeptical.

“I said, ‘Well, how do you know it’s the bank?'” Joe Beaufait said. “So she shows me the ID. She looks at it and says, ‘Same number that’s on your debit card.'”

The fraudster used an ATM to steal nearly $500 from his account, money that the Beaufaits will refund, according to Citizens Bank.

“It could have been much worse. They would have wiped me out,” Joe Beaufait said.

It caused a huge headache for the couple as they had to open new bank accounts. They also had to call the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs and any agency that deducts automatic payments from their accounts.

“Tell them no. Hang up and just call this place yourself, that’s all I want people to know because going through everything we went through is terrible,” Kathy Beaufait said.

Citizens Bank sent a statement:

“At Citizens, protecting our senior customers from fraud and financial exploitation is our top priority. We have robust policies and procedures in place to detect and respond to suspected elder financial abuse. This includes monitoring unusual account activity, providing specialized elder abuse training to our colleagues to help them recognize signs of exploitation, and ensuring timely reporting to the appropriate authorities when necessary.

In addition to these protective measures, we offer services to support and protect our elderly customers. This includes account monitoring tools, fraud alerts, and educational resources to help customers and their families identify and prevent fraud, including information and tips for seniors found on the Citizens website: https://www.citizensbank.com/learning/helping-family-phone-security.aspx).

Scams can happen to anyone at any time, and according to an AARP survey, nearly 80% of adults over the age of 65 have experienced or been a victim of some form of fraud. We encourage families to talk about the risk of fraud and what they can do to protect themselves. If you may have been targeted, we encourage you to contact your bank and law enforcement immediately. The faster you act, the sooner experts and authorities can help.

At Citizens, we are committed to promoting a safe and secure banking experience for all of our customers, especially our senior community, and continually evaluate our practices to address evolving risks,” said Brendan Goode, Chief Security Officer of Citizens Financial Group.

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