HOUSTON – A Houston small business owner says her bank account was drained just days after receiving a $20,000 loan meant to help her business grow.
Lele Ewah and her husband own Power of Sea Moss, a health and wellness shop located on Antoine Drive in northwest Houston. They say the loan was intended for repairs and marketing during the slower summer months.
But within a week of receiving the funds, the money was gone.
“I was absolutely devastated,” Lele told KPRC 2. “From a small business perspective, every dollar is needed. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
The call that changed everything
Lele says she received a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from Prosperity Bank. The caller ID matched the bank’s number. The woman on the other end, who identified herself as “Erica,” even referenced travel habits that only a legitimate banker would know.
“She asked, ‘Are you and your husband out of town? You always set travel notifications,’” Lele recalled. “It sounded so real.”
She says the caller then asked her to verify information in order to “secure” the account. Lele followed the instructions and reset her online banking — not realizing she was giving someone else access.
The money vanishes
Lele says she checked her account during the call and everything looked fine. But later that evening, she noticed two large transfers totaling $20,000 had been made to internal accounts at the same bank.
“It was another internal account. The bank told us the transfers were internal and could be recovered,” she said.
Twelve thousand dollars was eventually recovered, but the remaining $8,000 is still missing. Lele is also responsible for paying interest on the full loan amount.
“We borrowed a certain amount of money for a specific reason — and now we don’t have it,” she said. “That doesn’t fix the situation.”
A growing nationwide problem
According to the Federal Trade Commission, this kind of fraud — known as an imposter scam — is the number one fraud complaint in the country.
“If anybody is pressuring you to pay money immediately, that’s a huge red flag,” said Matt Wilshire, an attorney with the FTC. “Don’t be embarrassed. Come forward, report it, and act quickly to recover the money if you can.”
Wilshire recommends calling your bank directly using a verified number, never trusting caller ID, and ignoring messages that create a false sense of urgency.
“Even if it looks like it’s coming from your bank, hang up and call them back through their main line,” he said.
Calls for transparency and protection
Lele says what upsets her most is what happened next. When she called Prosperity Bank the following morning, the representative asked a chilling question: “Was her name Erica?”
“The bank knew this was happening,” Lele said. “Why didn’t they warn us? They send us text messages for everything else.”
Lele has filed reports with both the Tomball Police Department and the FBI. She says she’s not confident the money will be recovered — but she hopes sharing her story will prevent it from happening to someone else.
“We worked four farmers markets a week in the rain, in the heat, just to build this business,” she said. “We’ve been open for five years. That loan could’ve made a real difference.”
What you can do
Three tips from the FTC:
- Be cautious of urgent calls claiming to be from your bank — especially if they ask for personal info.
- Never trust caller ID. Scammers can spoof legitimate phone numbers.
- If you’ve been targeted, act fast. Contact your bank and report the fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov
