CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Corpus Christi woman said just before Christmas she fell victim to a scam and she hopes that by sharing her story, others won't let themselves be vulnerable to holiday scammers.
"I know what people are going to think. 'You're stupid. You just handed somebody your date of birth. You just handed somebody where you live, your phone number, all of these things,'" Tara Honeycutt said.
Honeycutt said she fell for it.
"You don't think clearly. You think, you're almost trapped in a corner, and you think, 'What can I do to get out of this corner?'" Honeycutt said.
The Corpus Christi mother said she was going through hard times -- desperate to get her kids through the holidays. She made a GoFundMe and shared it with her friends on Facebook, and that's when a new friend, one she hadn't met in person, responded.
"It's something they save you money, you just got to call this number. You got to text this person, communicate with them. Do what they say. It's 100-percent legitimate," Honeycutt said.
The man told her a ton of his friends have done it, so she gave in and called. Then texted when the person didn't answer.
"You know, what have I got to lose? You know I'm here with two dollars in my checking account, all my bills are due, no job prospects. You know, I need to pay my divorce attorney," Honeycutt said. "All of these things going on. It's Christmas. All of these things. So I do it."
She was eventually texted to fill out a basic questionnaire. Then came the more personal questions, including her Social Security number and bank information. Finally, a request for $300.
"He said it was to pay for the shipping money. They were going to Fed Ex it to me overnight, and I even questioned him because it was a Friday night. I'm like, 'Fed Ex doesn't run on Saturdays and Sundays,'" Honeycutt said.
Honeycutt said she continued to ignore the red flags and in a matter of an hour, someone had all the information they needed to do the most damage to her life.
Police say never give your information over the phone, email or text to someone you have never met. The same rules apply to cash or gift cards. Government agencies will not call to confirm sensitive information.
If you do fall victim, make sure to contact your bank and law enforcement.
"When you're in situations that you can't control and someone approaches you to help you, it's not always going to benefit you," Honeycutt said. "Not everyone has your best interests."
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