Fraudulent Telephone Scheme

Protect personal financial account information from unsolicited telephone callers

Area residents may fall victim to financial fraud if they give personal financial account information to unsolicited phone callers.  Recently, several senior citizens have been targeted and asked for their account numbers by persons posing as bank representatives. 

Banks and financial institutions already have your personal financial information, and they will never make phone calls asking customers for something they already have.

Keeping your financial and personal information secure and confidential is one of our most important responsibilities.  That’s why banks operate under a detailed and rigorous information security policy.

Taking just a few easy precautions can help protect your financial and personal information against identity theft. Some of these precautions are:

1.      Protect your checking and other account information—only give information to trusted sources

2.      Beware of phone calls from someone claiming to call from your bank—banks and other financial institutions don’t make phone calls asking for account information

3.      Guard your financial information carefully—store both new and cancelled checks in a safe place

4.      Keep your ATM pin number in a safe place—don’t write personal identification numbers on your card and never store your pin number in your purse or wallet

5.      Financial fraud is a crime—if you are solicited for personal financial information call the police and report it. Call your bank and alert them as well.