Andy Cohen is sharing a recent incident to prevent others from being scammed. It all started when he lost his bank card. He subsequently got an email that seemed to be “from my bank’s fraud alert.” Only it wasn’t.
When he opened the email and clicked on the link, he unfortunately gave criminals access to his bank account. Oh, Andy. Where have you been in the last 20 years? We’ve all been told over and over to never click on a link sent in an unsolicited email. My bank has told me dozens of times to never sign on anywhere but their official website. And always double-check the email address. It’s the oldest trick in the cyberbook.
Now, the Watch What Happens Live host is warning others to prevent them from being duped like he was.
A serious side of Andy Cohen, and a warning for fans
On January 10, Andy spoke on the Today Show about his recent experience with financial fraud. Hoda Kotb commented that they were seeing a side of the normally light-hearted Andy “we haven’t seen [before].”
“This is serious,” the Bravo executive responded. “I really don’t want this to happen to anyone.”
“Because I lost my card,” he continued, “I was like, ‘Oh, this must be real.’” He failed to check the email address and emphasized the importance of doing that to ensure it’s actually from your bank.
“They then asked me for my Apple ID,” he added. “No one will ever ask you for your Apple ID. I said, ‘This is a scam’ [and signed off] … I didn’t think anything of it. [But] I’d already given them access.”
As the criminals had access to his account, multiple “sizable wire transfers” were then withdrawn from his bank account. In addition, Andy had inadvertently given them access to his phone, which allowed them to approve the transfers when the bank followed up.
Even though the NYPD cybersecurity unit is investigating the crime, Andy added that “when money is wired out of your account, it’s gone.”
Lessons learned
Sharing some of the lessons he learned by falling “prey to” the scam, Andy warned, “Trust no one who calls you … Don’t get sucked into the urgent moment of it.”
While he didn’t put a dollar amount on what he had lost, the father of two said, “It’s enough that I’m on the Today Show talking about it.” He also spoke about the incident on his Daddy Diaries podcast, as well as SiriusXM’s Radio Andy.
Lastly, he addressed the scammers directly saying, “Whoever you are, I hate you, but you are very good at your job.” Like they care.
TELL US – HAVE YOU EVER RECEIVED ONE OF THESE SCAM EMAILS? DID YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS NOT TO RESPOND?
This story originally appeared on Realitytea
