A member visited a branch to initiate a wire transfer, explaining to Marina that the funds were intended to help his granddaughter with education expenses. As Marina reviewed the request, she noticed several red flags: the member had recently consolidated all his funds into one account and was attempting to wire nearly his full balance. Marina proceeded with standard fraud‑prevention questions. Although the member appeared calm and confident, something still felt off. When she shared an example of a recent scam involving an AI‑generated voice impersonating a family member, the member’s certainty shifted. When asked again if he believed the transaction could be a scam, he responded, “I hope not.” Marina paused the transaction and encouraged the member to personally contact his granddaughter to confirm the request. After stepping outside to make the call, the member returned having confirmed that he was, in fact, being scammed. The member then revealed that he had been contacted by someone posing as an Xfinity agent, who claimed his Social Security number had been compromised. The scammer instructed him to consolidate his funds and wire the money for “safe keeping,” while warning him not to trust Patelco staff. Because of Marina’s calm persistence and ability to ask the right questions at the right time, the wire was stopped—preventing a potential $40,000 loss. The member expressed deep relief and gratitude, thanking Marina for protecting his financial wellbeing.
