Avoiding Bank Impersonation Scam Attempts

At Old Glory Bank, your security is a top priority.

Financial Institutions across the nation are seeing an increase in banking scams. Old Glory Bank uses advanced technology and thorough training of our employees to watch for potentially fraudulent activity. It is critical that you also take measures to protect yourself and your money from scammers.

There are several ways scammers will try to reach you:

• “Phishing” is when scammers try to reach you by email or on a website
• “Smishing” is when criminals use text messaging to reach you
• “Vishing” is when these scammers call you and try to trick you into providing personal information by sounding like a legitimate business or government official

Learn how to identify these scams and better protect yourself and your money.

Important notices from Old Glory Bank

• Be wary when contacted about your account. The contact number should match what is provided on the back of your debit card. To be safe, you can hang up before providing any information and contact Old Glory Bank using the phone number on your card to confirm that the Bank reached out. Our Customer Service team may be reached Monday – Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time.
• If you believe that you’ve been scammed and have provided your bank information, you should immediately contact your financial institution and change your username and passwords.

How the Scams Work

• Bank impersonation scammers, pretending to be security departments at banks, will send out text messages, emails, and scam calls that warn people of unusual or possible fraudulent activity that requires immediate action, creating a sense of urgency. In reality, they are trying to get the recipients to provide or confirm account numbers and login information or to transfer their funds for safekeeping into accounts controlled by the fraudsters. In the process, they may also steal their targets’ personal information, which can be used to commit identity fraud.

• Scammers will pretend to be someone that you can trust and say that they’ve found an issue with one of your accounts. Then, they ask for your secure access code to get into your account to access your funds.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Money

• Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails or emails from unfamiliar sources: Some links may download malware (malicious software, i.e., computer viruses) to your device when you click on them. Also known as “phishing.” The malware may steal your banking information, including your username, passwords, and debit card numbers. Some links may lead to an illegitimate website attempting to get you to enter your personal information. These phishing emails may look eerily similar to those sent by familiar sources like well-known retailers, banks, and other entities.

• Ignore calls from unknown numbers: Although it may be tempting to answer every phone call, if you don’t recognize the number, let it go to voicemail. Listen to your voicemail and decide whether to call the person back.

• Use call-blocking features: Enable call-blocking features that will block or silence unknown calls on your phone to filter out potential vishing scams. Most smartphones offer this function to help you avoid fraudulent calls.

Sources: What is vishing? How to spot and avoid voice phishing scams - Norton

​How to Protect Yourself from Bank Impersonation Scams

How To Avoid Imposter Scams | Consumer Advice

Scammers and Fake Banks | FDIC.gov