TAMPA, Fla. — What started as a much-needed fun girls' night out in Ybor City, ended in hundreds of dollars being stolen from a Tampa woman.
“It was a con that they had planned and orchestrated together,” said Ashley Young.
Young told ABC Action News she was approached inside of Hot Wax Coffee Shop just before 2 a.m. by a man who claimed he was urgently trying to locate his sister and asked to borrow her phone.
“A moment later, another guy comes up and is talking to me and engaging me. My friend comes up, and we're talking to him. This man is using my phone. I see him he’s got it out,” Young said.
In less than five minutes the man returns the phone and leaves.
“In those five minutes, he tried to make four [transactions]. He made two successfully, $480 and $412 were taken from my bank and transferred to two different people,” said Young.
The thief located the Cash App on Young’s phone, stealing a total of $892.
“In just a very short time they were going to take advantage of you and take a full month's rent, diapers for my baby, food for my baby,” she said.
Thieves are using this tactic to steal money within seconds. Some tips to help you avoid this cell phone crime are:
- Don’t share your phone with a stranger.
- Ask to make the call for the person using speaker phone.
- Have the security settings activated if you are going to use a banking or cash app.
- Sign out of accounts and use passcodes or face ID.
Young has filed a police report and has made a claim with her bank.
“So $892 is just in limbo. I don’t know if they’re spending it or if it’s in limbo for them, but certainly, it’s not with me,” Young said.
