REDFORD TWP., Mich. (WXYZ) — A Redford Township woman who runs a house cleaning business says scammers drained roughly $1,800 from her bank account after posing as potential clients over the phone.
Watch Tony's report below
April Salas, 65, has operated April Fresh Cleaning Service for 25 years. Over the weekend, she says two men contacted her through the Nextdoor app, where she had posted contact information for her business. The men then began texting and calling her — one from a phone number with a 734 area code — claiming they wanted a house cleaned and would pay her through PayPal, Cash App and Chime, insisting they would help her set up the accounts.
"That's it. He took everything. I mean, it was my whole social security check," Salas said.
Salas says the men also convinced her they had accidentally sent $500 twice and that she needed to pay them $500 back.
"Then he was like, 'Nope. I need another $500.' He goes, 'I made a mistake. I sent you twice.' And I'm like, 'I don't see this money here.' And he goes, 'No, it's there,'" Salas said.
She says her bank warned her something was wrong during the process.
"And I'm like, 'Oh, my God. My bank is telling me this is a fraud. And he goes, 'No, everything is good. That's what it's gotta be. That's how it is. That's how you're going to get your money,'" Salas said.
By the time it was over, Salas says roughly $1,800 vanished from her account and that her bank does not expect to recover the funds.
"The bank doesn't think they're going to be able to get anything back because basically I said yes," Salas said.
Salas filed a police report with Redford Township police Monday morning. The investigation is in the early stages.
What experts say about this type of scam
Dave Hatter, a cyber security consultant with Intrust IT, says what Salas experienced is a well-known scheme.
"This overpayment refund scam is rampant," Hatter said.
Hatter says it is a type of phishing scam in which criminals target businesses they find on social media.
"They go where the people are. It could be a video game. It could be social media. It could be a chat app," Hatter said.
He says you should never let someone help you install an app on your device. If you believe you have been targeted by a similar scam, Hatter recommends taking the following steps:
- Change the passwords on your bank accounts
- Take your phone to your carrier to check for malware
- Freeze your credit or place a fraud alert
- File a police report
Salas says she hopes sharing her story prevents others from falling victim.
"I'm ashamed, too, but I have to do this because this is my money, you know? I mean, all because I was going to clean this guy's house. It was just crazy," Salas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
