A Hillsborough resident is out a staggering $2.7 million after a brazen phone scam that started with a caller claiming to be from AT&T and ended with a massive wire transfer to an international bank account, according to local police.
Authorities say the complaint was filed at the end of May and that the victim, believing they were cooperating with an investigation, followed detailed instructions over a series of calls before sending the money overseas. As reported by the San Mateo Daily Journal, Lt. Robert Kalkbrenner said the initial caller transferred the resident to someone posing as an Interpol investigator, who walked them through the bogus fraud prevention steps that ultimately led to the loss.
How the Scheme Unfolded
According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, the caller claimed the victim’s AT&T account had been flagged for fraudulent activity tied to an international criminal organization. That warning set the hook.
The resident was then connected to the fake Interpol contact, who allegedly framed the wire transfer as part of a legitimate investigation. Investigators told the paper the victim realized something was wrong only after the so-called investigator stopped responding and the wire transfer could not be reversed right away.
Scams Are Getting Costlier
Police say this case is just one local example of a growing national trend. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report cites roughly $20.9 billion in reported losses and lists government impersonation and wire transfers among the most common tactics used by scammers. The report from IC3 also flags cryptocurrency and AI-related fraud as major drivers of losses…