We have received reports of an uptick in fraud where local community members are receiving calls from cybercriminals claiming to be companies associated with the bank. In this case, the criminals are calling bank customers with the intent of collecting sensitive personal information.
Please be aware that neither the bank nor anyone associated with us would ever call our customers to ask for sensitive information. If you or someone you know receives a call like this, hang up and contact us directly at our published phone number 800.541.0006.
This type of fraud is also known as social engineering, or a manipulation technique used by cybercriminals to trick people into divulging confidential information by relying on the basic human instinct to trust others. In this particular example, the cybercriminal used social engineering by claiming he/she was a company working with the bank who detected an issue with the customer’s account.
To retrieve personal information, the criminal may ask the customer to verify his/her identity by supplying the fraudster with passwords, security questions, social security numbers or other personal identifiable information. The cybercriminal may then use this information to access personal networks to steal data and to install malware on the unknowing customer’s device or computer.
In most instances, it only takes a phone call, email or text message disguised as coming from a reputable person or company. The cybercriminal may use a familiar yet urgent tone to try to convince you to update your banking information.
If you believe you may have disclosed such information in what you suspect may be a fraudulent call, please contact us at 800.541.0006 so we can assist with protecting your accounts and your identity.
Please also report the scams to the FTC website or by calling 877.382.4357. Fraud can also be reported to the FBI for law enforcement action. For more information about social engineering and other common types of fraud, visit here.