One can hear about a long list of too-trusting Grandmas, job-hunters hit by scams, widows hurt when looking for love, and so many others who sadly lost big money to crafty cyber predators. But then, maybe, it really resonates when a pop culture celebrity who rang in the New Year with millions watching CNN talks about seeing money vanish from his own bank account.
Lots. Of. Money.
Andy Cohen, the high-energy, buzz-generating executive producer of the "Real Housewives" franchise and co-host with Anderson Cooper of CNN's New Year's Eve live coverage from Times Square, has gone public with how he lost his debit card one day, received what claimed to be email from his bank's fraud department another day and then shockingly discovered shortly afterward that cyber crooks made off with his money using three wire transfers out two of his bank accounts.
"When money is wired, it's out the door and gone," Cohen told me via email.
"Typically," he told me, "banks will not return money if you've given someone access to your account and then the transfers have been completed."