‘Someone’s Impersonating You’: The Bank Scam That Fooled an NFL Star

What would you do if you got a call from someone claiming to be an official from your bank telling you that there’s suspicious activity regarding your accounts?

You’d think the caller wants to protect you and your savings, right? But what if it’s actually a scammer who wants to rush you into transferring your hard-earned money into another account?

That’s exactly how a common and very dangerous impersonation scam unfolds. Anyone can fall for it – even an NFL player.

How the Scam Unfolds: ‘We’ve Detected Fraud in Your Name’

In this type of scam, fraudsters impersonate bank officials or fraud department agents and call their targets saying something along the lines of:

“We’ve detected someone impersonating you at a bank branch. They’re trying to access your account. We need to act fast to protect your funds.”

These scammers might:

• Spoof the bank’s real phone number.
• Use personal details (information they found about you online, from data breaches or data brokers) to seem legitimate.
• Instruct you to transfer funds to a “safe” account, which is actually under their control.

Related: Call Spoofing: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Protect Yourself

Real-World Example: Vikings' Dallas Turner Scammed out of $240,000

In February 2025, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner, 22, received a phone call that seemed legitimate. According to a sworn affidavit filed in Dakota County District Court, the caller claimed to be a banker at JPMorgan Chase.

The impersonator told Turner someone was trying to use two fake IDs to impersonate him at a Chase branch in Arizona, attempting a fraudulent wire transfer. To “prevent the theft,” the scammer instructed Turner to immediately transfer funds to two “safe” business accounts.

Trusting the caller, Turner went to two actual Chase Bank branches and transferred $120,000 into the two accounts mentioned.

It was only after a conversation with a family member that Turner realized something was off.

By then, $240,000 was gone. Only about $2,500 has been recovered so far. The investigation is ongoing, and police are looking into potential employee involvement at the bank.

Why These Scams Work?

• Fear and urgency: The idea that someone is stealing your identity makes victims panic.
• Trust in authority: When scammers impersonate banks, they play on people’s instinct to listen and obey professionals.
• False security steps: They often present the transfer as a “protective measure,” which ironically becomes the actual fraud.

How Can You and Your Family Members Stay Safe

If you get a call like this, remember:

• Banks never ask you to transfer money to another account to "protect" it.
• Hang up and call the bank directly using the number on their card or official website.
• Don’t trust caller IDs by default since phone numbers can be spoofed.
• Talk to someone you trust before taking action.

If you’ve already transferred funds:

• Contact your bank immediately to try and freeze or reverse the transaction.
• File a police report and contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• Use tools like Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection to monitor your name and personal data for misuse.

The scam that targeted Dallas Turner is a reminder that anyone can fall for a social engineering attack. These criminals know how to exploit fear and trust, often using just enough personal data to seem credible.

If someone tells you they’re trying to stop a scam by asking you to move money, take a breath—and don’t fall for it.

Pro tip:  Use Bitdefender Scamio — Your 24/7 Scam Detector

Whether it’s a suspicious phone call, strange text, fake invoice, or a fishy social media message, Bitdefender Scamio is your AI-powered chatbot designed to keep your entire family safe from scams.

• You can chat with Scamio anytime; it’s basically like having a personal scam expert in your pocket
• You can Instantly analyze messages, links, and documents to check for signs of fraud
• It’s completely free and accessible from any device

From teens to grandparents, Scamio helps everyone in the family stay ahead of scammers, without needing to be tech-savvy.

Stop Scam Calls Before They Start with Bitdefender Call Protection

What happened to Dallas Turner started with a simple phone call. These phone scams (vishing scams) where fraudsters impersonate trusted institutions over the phone, are growing more advanced and harder to spot in the moment.

With Bitdefender’s new Call Protection feature for Android, you can stop scam calls in their tracks:

• Block known scam and fraud numbers automatically
• Get real-time warnings for suspicious or spoofed calls
• Maintain peace of mind while keeping your real calls uninterrupted

Whether you're a public figure or simply want to protect your family, this feature adds a powerful layer of defense against phone-based scams.

Try Bitdefender Today.