‘I'm a sucker for any bleeding-heart thing’: Chicago woman lost $5K after boys asked her for $20 to help pay for their brother's funeral. Watch for these red flags to avoid being a ‘sucker’

A scam on the rise

Another Chicago woman told CBS News that she was approached outside of a grocery store when she was asked by two young men for money to help pay for their brother’s funeral. Like Radin, Monica Wieske said they wouldn’t take the cash that she offered. Tap to pay, they claimed, was the only way.

And right after she tapped, Wieske also got a notification that nearly $5,000 was taken out of her account.

In January, Chicago couple Drew and Leilani were approached in a Target with the same tale: Our brother died, we can’t afford the funeral, are you willing to spare some money?

Once they gave $20 via Apple Pay after the scammers refused to accept cash, Drew learned that nearly $5,000 had been taken. But this time, the notification came right after he tapped, and he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"I looked down at my phone and realized that they took close to $5,000 instead of $20. I said to myself, 'Oh, hell no,' and turned and started chasing them," said Drew, who didn’t want CBS News to use his last name.

Drew told CBS reporters that he chased the men down and actually jumped into their car as they tried to get away. He says he suffered a broken rib and punctured lung after being thrown from the car as the boys accelerated the vehicle to get away.

While the couple eventually got their money back, Radin hasn’t been so lucky. She filed a police report and contacted her bank, Goldman Sachs, but she says as of late April she hadn’t gotten a dollar back.

In a statement to CBS, a representative from Goldman Sachs said, "While we do not comment on specific customers, our customers' safety and security are a top priority. We work quickly to review any fraud claims and regularly provide provisional credits during the review process. There is an allotted timeline for fraud investigations, and we aim to resolve any disputes as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Wieske fought with her bank, Fifth Third, for months. CBS News reached out to them for an explanation and just before their scheduled interview with Wieske, the bank gave her the money back.

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How to be protected against tap-to-pay scams

Scammers can be well trained in emotional manipulation, and it’s easy for a story such as a sibling’s funeral to tug at the heartstrings. While there are many people out there who truly need help, there are steps you can take to stay vigilant and ensure you aren’t giving your money to a scam.

On the spot tap-to-pay requests are a red flag

Refusing cash after asking for a donation is already a red flag, and immediately having a tap-to-pay request ready to go should raise more alarm bells. If the requester truly has an online donation fund set up, ask for a legit website or fundraising page started by family or official organizers that you can donate to later.

Verify the organization and funeral home

In Radin and Wieske’s cases, they were both approached by young boys. Ask to speak with an older family member to confirm the boys are out fundraising before making any donations. It may feel awkward, but also consider asking which funeral home or director they are using for the service in an extra bid for more confirming information.

Consider reserving donations for official platforms

Informal requests for donations through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo or other quick tap-to-pay platforms are red flags. Instead, ask if there is an official fundraising page through GoFundMe or, say, through a funeral home’s website.

Set tap-to-pay limits

Setting a limit for online transactions ensures that scammers can’t change the amount to thousands of dollars right before the transaction goes through. Additionally, set up a PIN or another authentication for any payment to be authorized.

Set payment alerts

Make sure to set up notifications for any payment activity so, like Drew, you can catch the scam quickly. But, confronting the crooks like he did is not worth the risk. Rather, immediately notify your bank and the authorities.