Consumer Alerts

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 […]

The National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF) has issued an alert warning the public about the issuance of erroneous 1099-G forms. 1099-G forms are issued to recipients of certain government payments, including unemployment compensation. Since unemployment insurance (UI) is taxable income, the State Workforce Agency (SWA) issues 1099-G forms to UI and Internal Revenue Service recipients to report the amount of taxable unemployment compensation received. If you receive a 1099-G form you are not expecting, it might mean that an identity thief fraudulently received benefits using your identity. Taxpayers who receive a 1099-G form for benefits they did not […]

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently issued an advisory regarding fraudulent COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments (EIP). U.S. authorities have identified numerous EIP-related fraud schemes such as: Fraudulent Checks: Fraudulent checks are mailed to victims, instructing the recipients to call a provided number to cash the fraudulent relief checks. Victims are asked to provide personal or banking information to speed up their relief payments. Altered Checks: Fraudsters have begun depositing altered EIP checks, often via ATMs or by mobile deposit. The altered checks often have the payee chemically altered to enter a new payee, or the payee line is left […]

Area residents are reporting phony new home warranty final notice letters received by mail. The letters mention the mortgage company or bank where mortgage is held. The companies sending these letters use publicly available information from the county Registry of Deeds to offer their services to local homeowners, but the services are not sponsored by or associated with any bank or mortgage company.  Though this practice is not illegal, it is deceptive in nature and aims to have the homeowner call believing this vendor has an affiliation with their bank or mortgage company. Once the customer calls, the vendor tries […]

MVSB and other local financial institutions are seeing an uptick in Mobile Wallet Fraud, a form of mobile payment scam using stolen credit cards. The scam begins when a victim receives a call claiming to be from their bank. The caller ID even reflects the bank’s correct phone number, as it has been spoofed or faked by the fraudster. The caller/fraudster then tells the victim that potentially fraudulent transactions have been posted to their account, and they are calling to verify them. The fraudster then communicates a list of fake transactions which the victim will identify as not theirs. The […]

We have received reports of an imposter Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website, entitled “US Trading Commission” that is being used to fraudulently capture sensitive information from unsuspecting individuals. The website appears realistic and looks official. It even includes the FTC’s seal and physical address. The fraudulent website claims to compensate those who have had their Personal Identifiable Information (PII) leaked on the internet. Instead, the fake website redirects you to malicious links disguised as YouTube URLs, and states that this is where you can instantly receive cash compensation. When you click on the link, it brings you to a page […]

The Department of Homeland Security has issued an advisory warning about unemployment fraud. Unemployment fraud is the act of someone else using your identity to falsely claim unemployment benefits. Fraudsters are applying for unemployment with stolen personal information and requesting direct deposit of these financial benefits. Once those deposits are made, the funds are either withdrawn, transferred to other accounts or transferred overseas. If you discover someone else has applied for unemployment using your identity:Report the fraud to your employer Report the fraud to your state unemployment benefits agency Carefully review “Identity Theft: A Recovery Plan” on the Federal Trade […]

Our digital security team has been alerted that some NH based banks are seeing attempts by criminals to trick their customers into giving them access to their computers or important non-public personal information, such as the online banking login information, their account numbers or their social security numbers. Fraudsters know that many local businesses, nonprofits, families and households will have a relationship with the bank or agency that they are claiming to be, so if they keep dialing local numbers, they are bound to find a “customer”.   Thus, they can simply reach out – by phone, text, email or mail […]

This is the time of year when fraud attempts are on the rise. One type of fraud focused on online banking is called “credential stuffing.”  This is when fraudsters obtain login IDs and passwords from other sites or apps, then attempt to use those same credentials elsewhere to see if customers use the same info for multiple sites or apps. Unfortunately, many people do use the same login IDs and passwords for multiple sites and apps – so credential stuffing is sometimes successful. Even if an attempt is not successful but the login ID matches an online banking user, the […]