Consumer Alerts

Our fraud mitigation team has learned that criminals are targeting businesses in our communities by posing as NH-based bank employees. The scammers typically reach out by phone or email and indicate that there is an issue with your accounts or payments.  They may even spoof the email address and/or phone numbers to look like the communication is from your bank. As the scenario unfolds, the scammer gains your trust and asks for sensitive online banking information to help resolve the problem. Once they have access to your online banking, a scammer will work quickly – adding themselves and others as […]

Community members have reported receiving emails indicating their mortgage is in foreclosure and they must vacate their home. They are asked to contact a “relationship manager” by phone to avoid further legal action. Upon outreach, the victim is encouraged to pay a fee and provide confidential information for hardship assistance programs to stop the sale or auction of their home. The United States Treasury reminds consumers that “real help is free” and to contact your mortgage servicer directly if you have trouble making payments. In New Hampshire, information about your mortgage is publicly available in the Registry of Deeds and […]

Consider this: You get an email from a computer antivirus company stating that a $487 subscription fee will be charged to your debit card on file. You don’t remember the purchase, but at first glance the email looks legitimate. It states to call the number below within four hours to cancel. In a panic, you call and an agent from “the company” answers. They can offer a refund and they instruct you to download an application for a transaction reversal. They claim that they sent you money, but sent $4,870 instead of $487. The agent starts to panic, saying they […]

Community members are once again reporting fraudulent text messages claiming to be from local banks. While we are not aware that MVSB customers have been impacted at this time, it’s not uncommon scammers to move on to other area banks as the effectiveness of their scheme begins to dwindle. In this recent scam, the text message asks the recipient to confirm a large transaction attempt on their bank account. To report the transaction as fraud, the recipient must click on a link bringing them to a fake webpage that prompts them to provide their online banking username and password. Remember: […]

Check washing is a type of fraud that occurs when a stolen check is treated with a chemical formula to remove its ink or “wash the check.” Then the check is rewritten with a higher amount, addressed to a new payee, and deposited. In most cases, checks are stolen from the mail before they are washed and rewritten.  As several local businesses have let us know that they have been victimized, we want to remind local businesses that one option to protect your company from check fraud is to use Positive Pay. Positive Pay is a popular automated cash service […]

Live Nation Entertainment® is investigating a data breach at its subsidiary, global concert and event ticket provider, Ticketmaster®. The breach could impact as many as 560 million of their customers, who will now be at risk of fraud and identity theft due to a massive breach of their data systems. Hackers obtained full names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, event details, order information and payment card information, including the last four digits of the debit or credit card number and expiration date. Information stolen in largescale data breaches like this one is often sold and used by criminals to commit […]

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning about online rental scams to those looking for a place to live or vacation. Finding an apartment or house that is affordable and available to rent can often be a challenge. Scammers take advantage of this by creating fake online rental listings and posing as the landlord or rental company. To add legitimacy, they may copy information and photos from existing rental listings or use an appealing property address that is not actually for rent. To avoid this scam:Be skeptical of unusually low rent – scammers may use a price that […]