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 […]
Consumer Alerts
Fraudsters Posing as Fraud Center Representatives
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 […]
Be on the Lookout for Phishing Emails Posing as Online Companies
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 […]
Business Email Compromises Leading to Large Fraud Losses Statewide
Our Cyber Security Team has notified us of a new cybercrime targeting businesses across the state. In the scheme, known as Business Email Compromise (BEC) or Email Account Compromise (EAC), hackers impersonate a known email contact, such as a vendor, a government agency or a company executive to attempt to gain unauthorized information or access to commit fraud. The hacker’s goal is to take over access to email and financial accounts in order to defraud the business of as much money as they can, as quickly as possible. Recently, several municipalities have been targeted, one falling victim and leading to […]
Amazon Refund Scam Resurfaces
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 […]
Fraudsters May Call. You Don’t Have to Answer.
Con-artists, fraudsters, scammers – whichever you prefer to call them – will play on your emotions, whether it is a scare tactic or playing on our goodwill, to get the information they need to conduct the next steps of their fraudulent scheme. A common scheme for fraudsters is to contact you stating that there has been an issue with your bank account. The fraudsters may even spoof the phone number they call to look like your bank or financial institution’s phone number. To divulge information from a victim, the fraudster will ask the customer to verify themselves by providing the […]
Paycheck Protection Program Application Deadline Extended to May 31
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.
6 Tips to Protect Yourself from Fraud
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 […]
Are Your Mobile Apps Eavesdropping on You?
It’s no secret that companies capture information about what you are looking at online and use it to target advertising messages. This includes what you click on, how long you are on a website, your social media activity, and demographics, as well as what you search for. But did you ever wonder if the apps you are using could be watching too? Seeing an ad for a product you were chatting with a friend about probably isn’t just a coincidence. The apps you use day-to-day often require consent to access pictures, videos, and the microphone on your phone. While this […]
Federal Income Tax Filing and Contributions Deadline Extended to May 17
The Internal Revenue Service has extended the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year to May 17, 2021; automatically extending the contribution deadline for dual Retirement Accounts (IRA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESA) to the same date. Despite the extension, the does urge taxpayers who are due a refund to file as soon as possible. Most tax refunds associated with e-filed returns are issued within 21 days. For more information or for a list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit www.irs.gov.
