Bank scam costs Colorado nonprofit Struggle of Love $60,000
A Colorado nonprofit organization is recovering after a scam drained $60,000 from the organization's bank account. They're hopeful the community can step in to help before the loss begins to affect their ability to serve the community.
The Struggle of Love Foundation provides an array of services to youth and families, including a food pantry that distributes 200 boxes of food daily, mental health support, mentorship programs, and more. Its impact spans over 12 schools and two centers in Denver and Aurora.
Last month, executive director Lakeshia Hodge received a text message warning her of suspicious activity involving the organization's bank account. The message claimed that someone was trying to transfer funds from the account, and it asked her to respond with either a "yes" or "no" depending on whether she had authorized the transaction.
Panicked, she quickly replied "No."
Not long after, she received a call from someone claiming to be from Wells Fargo, reassuring her that the situation would be handled swiftly. The "representative" instructed her to transfer the funds into a temporary account to prevent her primary account from being frozen before the payroll went through for the organization's employees.
Payroll was due to be processed the following day- an amount totaling around $60,000.
The new account was set up by Hodge and she transferred the money.
As she entered the deposit, she noticed something strange: the account already contained money.
"That's when things just went silent," she said. "I didn't get any more responses. That's when I knew. But it was too late. The money was already gone."
She immediately rushed to the bank to verify the account's legitimacy, only to discover that her name wasn't listed on the account, and there was no way for her to access the funds. The scammer even sent her a fake letter from an email account posing as the FBI, claiming they were working with the bank to resolve this.
"I went to Wells Fargo, and then I went to the police. But what I'm being told is that because I was an active participant in the transaction, they can't prove I wasn't involved," she explained.
With $60,000 now gone, the foundation is worried about its ability to continue offering vital services. The foundation was also in the midst of a capital campaign to purchase a building for the organization, but now, everything is on hold.
The foundation is asking for help from the community. Hodge has even reached out to the scammer in an attempt to recover some of the lost funds, urging them to donate part of the money back to the organization.
"I've been texting them saying, 'Please, would you consider donating something back to the organization? Here's our mission. Here's what we're working on. Here's who you've stolen from,'" she explained. "If you can find it in your heart to donate something back, it would mean so much to us."
Hodge admits that she never thought this kind of thing would happen to her, but it's a painful reminder that scams can target anyone, no matter how cautious or knowledgeable they may be.
"I was one of those people who would look at others who got scammed and say, 'How could you be so stupid?'" she said. "I want to help others avoid the same mistake."
StopFraudColorado.gov has been developed by the Colorado Attorney General's Office to help protect consumers and businesses from scammers. To file a complaint visit: https://coag.gov/file-complaint/.
