Woman accused of posing as Wells Fargo employee to scam 2 Houston customers out of thousands

PREVIOUS REPORT: Wells Fargo returns stolen funds after FOX 26 Report

Two more Wells Fargo customers got thousands of dollars back that they lost during an elaborate scheme.

HOUSTON - A woman is accused of posing as a Wells Fargo employee to scam two Houston residents out of more than $30,000 combined in an elaborate scheme FOX 26 reported on last year.

Records show Jacquelina Trana Chambliss has been charged in Harris County with credit card abuse and fraudulent use or possession of credit card or debit card information.

Jacquelina Trana Chambliss

Customers lose thousands of dollars

The backstory:

Last summer, Sharon Schoolcraft and Scott Merovitch told us two very similar stories about how they lost thousands of dollars.

Both got phone calls that appeared to be from Wells Fargo.

The caller told them both there were fraudulent transactions and even told them about legitimate charges made, making them confident they were talking to the bank.

A woman showed up at their houses claiming to work for Wells Fargo, cut up their debit cards and put them in an envelope.

Soon after, Merovitch reported losing roughly $20,669 and Schoolcraft $13,912.

Wells Fargo did end up reversing the charges and returning their money.

What the investigation revealed

What they're saying:

The case was investigated by the Houston Police Department's Major Offenders Division, Swindle Squad.

According to police, the unauthorized transactions were made at grocery stores. Police say Merovitch’s funds had been used for money order purchases, and Schoolcraft’s had been used for money orders and an ATM withdrawal.

While investigating the case, police say facial analysis of security camera video led them to Chambliss as a suspect. According to court documents, she had been arrested in Brazoria County for similar accusations of impersonating a Wells Fargo employee, collecting someone’s debit card and purchasing money orders.

Police say Merovitch and Schoolcraft were able to identify her as the woman who came to their homes.

What to look out for

What you can do:

FOX 26 has covered several more stories of customers caught up in very similar schemes.

Wells Fargo also provided tips and information to protect yourself:

• Wells Fargo will never ask you to give us or mail your physical card and/or PIN number to prevent fraud or scams. If anyone asks you to do that, it's a scam.
• Scammers will try to rush you into taking action, so you won’t take time to stop, think, and verify facts.
• Don’t trust caller ID: Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers.
• Common tactics include asking you to provide sensitive personal information or to send money to help stop a phony transaction or receive a refund.
• Your bank won’t ask you to send a payment or your physical card to prevent or stop fraud in your account. If you get a call asking for that, immediately hang up and call your bank directly.
• Providing personal information such as One-Time passcodes, passwords, or PIN can give scammers access to your account and your funds.
• Don’t be pressured or rushed into making a transaction.
• If you are uncomfortable with a request received by phone call or text that you didn’t initiate, don’t respond and hang up immediately. Contact the company using legitimate sources.