Protect Your Accounts with Security Bank

Stay Safe from Scams

 

Have you been a victim of fraud? Are you always on the lookout for someone trying to scam you? Security Bank wants to ensure that our clients are protected from potential fraud and scam threats. We are utilizing BanksNeverAskThat for our current social media campaign to share tips on spotting and avoiding fraudulent attempts on your bank account.

Tips for Avoiding Scams

Email Scams

    1. Avoid clicking suspicious links
    2. Raise the red flag on scare tactics
    3. Watch for attachments and typos
    4. Be skeptical of every email

Phone Call Scams

    1. Don’t rely on caller ID
    2. Never give sensitive information
    3. Watch out for a false sense of urgency
    4. Hang up — even if it sounds legit

Text Message Scams

    1. Slow down — think before you act
    2. Don’t click links
    3. Never send personal information
    4. Delete the message

Mobile Payment App Scams

    1. Be wary of texts or calls about payment apps
    2. Use payment apps to pay friends and family only
    3. Raise the alarm on urgent payment requests
    4. Avoid unusual payment methods

You may be wondering, what do I do if I’ve been a victim of fraud? The above tricks for spotting a scam will help protect you and your bank account from being at risk. Next, let’s consider some frequently asked questions from BanksNeverAskThat to better inform you of scamming tactics and the next steps.

    • What is phishing?
      • Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals make fraudulent emails, phone calls, and texts that appear to come from a legitimate bank. The communication is designed to trick you into entering confidential information (like account numbers, passwords, PINs, or birthdays) into a fake website by clicking on a link or telling it to someone imitating your bank on the phone. People lose hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to these scams every year.
    • What to do if you receive a scam email, call, or text
      • Email or Text
        • If you suspect that an email or text you receive is a phishing attempt:
          • Take a deep breath. In most cases, opening a scam email or text is perfectly safe. Modern mail apps, like Gmail, detect and block any code or malware from running when you open an email. The key is not to click links or download any attachments.
          • Do not download any attachments in the message. Attachments may contain malware such as viruses, worms, or spyware.
          • Do not click links that appear in the message. Links in phishing messages direct you to fraudulent websites.
          • Do not reply to the sender. Ignore any requests from the sender, and do not call any phone numbers provided in the message.
          • Report it. Help fight scammers by reporting them. Forward suspected phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726). Then, report the phishing attack to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
      • Call
        • If you receive a phone call that seems to be a phishing attempt:
          • Hang up or end the call. Be aware that area codes can be misleading. If your Caller ID displays a local area code, this does not guarantee that the caller is local.
          • Do not respond to the caller’s requests. Financial institutions and legitimate companies will never call you to request your personal information. Never give personal information to the incoming caller.
          • If you feel you’ve been the victim of a scam, and you did provide personal or financial information, contact your bank immediately at their publicly listed customer service number. Often, this is found on the back of your bank card. Be sure to include any relevant details, such as whether the suspicious caller attempted to impersonate your bank and whether you provided any personal or financial information to the suspicious caller.
    • What to do if you fall for a scam email, call, or text
      • Contact your bank, financial institutions, and creditors
        • Speak with the fraud department and explain that someone has stolen your identity.
        • Request to close or freeze any accounts that may have been tampered with or fraudulently established.
        • Make sure to change your online login credentials, passwords, and PINs.
      • Secure your email and other communication accounts
        • Many people reuse passwords, and your email or cell phone account may also be compromised.
        • Immediately change your accounts’ passwords and implement multi-factor authentication — a setting that prevents cybercriminals from accessing your accounts, even if they know your password — if you haven’t already done so.
      • Check your credit reports and place a fraud alert on them
        • Review your credit report to ensure unauthorized accounts are not opened in your name.
        • Report any fraudulent accounts to the appropriate financial institutions.
        • Place a fraud alert on your credit by contacting one of the three credit bureaus. That company must tell the other two.
      • Contact ChexSystems at 888.478.6536 to place a security alert on the compromised checking and savings accounts when a deposit account has been impacted. Or, make your report to ChexSystems online.
      • Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report an ID theft incident: visit identitytheft.gov or call 877.438.4338.
      • File a report with your local law enforcement
        • Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.

Security Bank is here for you. Whether you have been a victim of fraud, have suspicions about your account being hacked, or have questions about how to protect your account better, give us a call today.