Consumer Alerts

The Alton Police Department has reported that the Alton School Street postal mail drop box is the latest target in mail thefts across the state. The mailbox has been blocked off until it can be replaced with a new anti-tamper box and the police department is encouraging residents to bring their mail directly in the post office for the time being. Be mindful when sending and receiving mail, especially around the holiday season. If you believe you are the victim of mail theft, please report the matter to www.uspis.gov/report and contact your local police department. Follow these recommendations to keep […]

Our Fraud specialists have learned about an increase in a common check scam in the local area. Scammers steal legitimate checks from the mail and alter or recreate the checks with new signatures, payees and often raised amounts. The checks are often difficult to uncover using standard fraud review at financial institutions as they share the same serial number and check stock as legitimate checks. If you mail checks, please monitor your accounts diligently, especially over the next couple of weeks. Please notify us immediately if you notice any unauthorized transactions on your account. In addition, please note that you […]

Local community members are reporting receiving fake fraud alert text messages and calls claiming to be from their bank. In some cases, the messages use a local bank name or “spoof”/mask the caller ID appear to be from a bank phone number The scam begins when a victim receives a fake fraud alert by text message or voice call about a suspicious transaction on their account. Shortly after the victim responds to “NO” or that the transaction was not authorized, they receive a phone call from scammer posing as a fraud representative from their bank. They ask the victim to […]

There has been a recent uptick in phishing emails from well-known online services, like Office 365 and Zoom. The emails received direct victims to click on a fake link and provide their usernames and passwords. Victims that receive these emails and click on the link are sent to a CAPTCHA verification page, which is used to make the scam seem legitimate. Once “verified,” a fake error page appears asking the victim to log in to their account, giving the cybercriminal instant access to their username, password and ultimately their online accounts. Where many people use the same login credentials for […]

Community members are reporting a recent increase in fraudulent calls regarding Amazon refunds.  Victims of the scam have indicated that an “Amazon representative” contacted them by telephone to issue a refund that they were not expecting. In some instances the representative states the refund is a result of fraud on their Amazon account and other times the customer is told they were overcharged for a previous purchase. To address the issue, the fraudster instructs the victim to sign into their computer and allow remote access. They ask them to log in to their Amazon account and show them a fake […]

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is currently offering Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans via local banks through May 31st as part of the the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. This Act allows new loan applications to the program, originally set to expire on March 31, for two more months and give the SBA 30 additional days to process loan applications made by the new May 31 deadline.

Our Fraud Management Team offers the following tips to protect yourself from criminals looking to steal your identity and/or your money: Review your credit and online banking regularly. Contact your bank immediately if you notice anything unexpected. Do not open emails you are not expecting. Do not click on pop-ups or gift ads. If you’re not sure a phone call you received is legitimate, hang up and call them back on a confirmed number directly. You’ll likely find their contact information on their website or on your account statement. Do not provide personal or financial information over the phone unless you […]