Andy Cohenis speaking out to try to help others gettingduped financiallylike he did.The Bravo executiveappearedonTodayWednesday to share more details about his recent financial fraud experience withSavannah GuthrieandHoda Kotb.After Kotb, 59, remarked that the incident had brought out a side of Cohen, 55, that “we haven’t seen” before, theWatch What Happens Livehost said, “This is serious, and I really don’t want this to happen to anyone.”The alleged crime started when Cohen lost his bank card. He then got an email that “looked like it was from my bank’s fraud alert,” but it wasn’t. Instead, after opening the email and logging into his bank, he had inadvertently given the scammers access to his account.“Because I had lost my card, I was like, ‘Oh, this must be real.’ I didn’t click on the email address,” he admitted, warning viewers to be sure to double-check the email address and ensure it’s actually from the bank.Cohen continued, “They then asked me for my Apple ID. No one will ever ask you for your Apple ID. I said, ‘This is a scam.’ I got off. I didn’t think anything of it. I’d already given them access.”Cohen was ultimately subjected to what Guthrie, 52, called an “elaborate” scam in which multiple “sizable wire transfers” were initiated out of his bank account. Enabling those transfers, Cohen had inadvertently given the scammers access to his phone, allowing them to approve the wire transfers when the bank followed up.TODAY/ YouTubeThe situation remains under investigation with the New York Police Department cybersecurity unit, he said, but added that “when money is wired out of your account, it’s gone.”Cohen made sure to share some of the lessons he learned from an unfortunately easy scenario to “fall prey to.”“Trust no one who calls you,” he advised. “Don’t get sucked into the urgent moment of it.”While he didn’t specify just how much money was taken from his account, he admitted, “It’s enough that I’m on theTodayShow talking about it.”Cohen also issued a message to the scammers themselves: “Whoever you are, I hate you, but you are very good at your job.”WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN – Episode 19129 – Pictured: Andy Cohen.Charles Sykes/Bravo via GettyThefather of twofirst opened up about the situation on an episode of hisDaddy Diariespodcast,admitting “a lot of money” had been wired out of his accounts.He also talked about the fraud scheme last week on SiriusXM’sAndy Cohen Liveas part of hisresponsetoReal Housewives of Salt Lake CityalumJen Shah’s harsh words for Bravo — and Cohen specifically — in the hours after claims about herRHOSLCseason 4 finale.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Shah — who is currentlyserving prison timeforfinancial crimesunrelated to Cohen’s recent incident — called out Cohen on social media afterHeather Gayalleged that Shah wasthe one who caused her black eye.“As someone who was just the victim of an online and phone scam where I lost a lot of money, this message comes at an interesting time,” he said.He explained, “So, let me just say that. I just need to predicate that I’m a current victim of fraud, which is what she is in jail for. I’m not connecting her, I’m not saying that she’s responsible for it, but I’m just saying it’s ironic that I happened….”
Andy Cohenis speaking out to try to help others gettingduped financiallylike he did.
The Bravo executiveappearedonTodayWednesday to share more details about his recent financial fraud experience withSavannah GuthrieandHoda Kotb.
After Kotb, 59, remarked that the incident had brought out a side of Cohen, 55, that “we haven’t seen” before, theWatch What Happens Livehost said, “This is serious, and I really don’t want this to happen to anyone.”
The alleged crime started when Cohen lost his bank card. He then got an email that “looked like it was from my bank’s fraud alert,” but it wasn’t. Instead, after opening the email and logging into his bank, he had inadvertently given the scammers access to his account.
“Because I had lost my card, I was like, ‘Oh, this must be real.’ I didn’t click on the email address,” he admitted, warning viewers to be sure to double-check the email address and ensure it’s actually from the bank.
Cohen continued, “They then asked me for my Apple ID. No one will ever ask you for your Apple ID. I said, ‘This is a scam.’ I got off. I didn’t think anything of it. I’d already given them access.”
Cohen was ultimately subjected to what Guthrie, 52, called an “elaborate” scam in which multiple “sizable wire transfers” were initiated out of his bank account. Enabling those transfers, Cohen had inadvertently given the scammers access to his phone, allowing them to approve the wire transfers when the bank followed up.
TODAY/ YouTube
The situation remains under investigation with the New York Police Department cybersecurity unit, he said, but added that “when money is wired out of your account, it’s gone.”
Cohen made sure to share some of the lessons he learned from an unfortunately easy scenario to “fall prey to.”
“Trust no one who calls you,” he advised. “Don’t get sucked into the urgent moment of it.”
While he didn’t specify just how much money was taken from his account, he admitted, “It’s enough that I’m on theTodayShow talking about it.”
Cohen also issued a message to the scammers themselves: “Whoever you are, I hate you, but you are very good at your job.”
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN – Episode 19129 – Pictured: Andy Cohen.Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
Thefather of twofirst opened up about the situation on an episode of hisDaddy Diariespodcast,admitting “a lot of money” had been wired out of his accounts.
He also talked about the fraud scheme last week on SiriusXM’sAndy Cohen Liveas part of hisresponsetoReal Housewives of Salt Lake CityalumJen Shah’s harsh words for Bravo — and Cohen specifically — in the hours after claims about herRHOSLCseason 4 finale.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Shah — who is currentlyserving prison timeforfinancial crimesunrelated to Cohen’s recent incident — called out Cohen on social media afterHeather Gayalleged that Shah wasthe one who caused her black eye.
“As someone who was just the victim of an online and phone scam where I lost a lot of money, this message comes at an interesting time,” he said.
He explained, “So, let me just say that. I just need to predicate that I’m a current victim of fraud, which is what she is in jail for. I’m not connecting her, I’m not saying that she’s responsible for it, but I’m just saying it’s ironic that I happened….”
source: people.com
