To help combat the toll that phishing is taking on consumers, Security Savings Bank is joining the American Bankers Association and thousands of banks across the country to promote an industry-wide consumer awareness campaign called #BanksNeverAskThat. Using humorous and engaging videos, social media posts and other material, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign seeks to turn the table on fraudsters by empowering consumers to spot bogus bank phishing scams.
To learn more about the campaign, visit the consumer landing page at BanksNeverAskThat.com. At that website, you will find an interactive game, videos, phishing red flags, tips and FAQs.Our world is becoming more digital. It is important to be diligent to prevent fraud when using online services like our online or mobile banking, mobile app, and Zelle®. Keep these tips in mind to protect yourself from scammers.
Phishing is where scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. But there are several ways to protect yourself.
If you get an email or a text message that asks you to click on a link or open an attachment, answer this question:
‘Do I have an account with the company or know the person who contacted me?’
If the answer is “No,” it could be a phishing scam. Report the message and then delete it.
If the answer is “Yes,” contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real — not the information in the email. Attachments and links might install harmful malware.
If you think a scammer has your information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, go to www.identitytheft.gov. There you’ll see the specific steps to take based on the information that you lost.
If you think you clicked on a link or opened an attachment that downloaded harmful software, update your computer’s security software. Then run a scan and remove anything it identifies as a problem.
If you got a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you give helps fight scammers.
If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected]
If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726).
Report the phishing attempt to the FTC at www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov
We are encouraging our customers to be aware of a trending bank fraud called ‘check washing’. Check washing involves changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and fraudulently depositing them. Occasionally, these checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink. Some scammers will even use copiers or scanners to print fake copies of a check.
Criminals are targeting mailboxes to commit check fraud and are even selling copies of washed checks online. The mail theft puts not only personal checks at risk but also business checks, tax refunds, and government benefits. In the case of business checks, criminals create a fake business with a similar name, then use it to open bank accounts.
A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used by fraudsters to obtain payment card information such as an account number, card expiration date, PIN, or 3-digit security code on the back of the card (CVV).
Once the fraudsters have gained access to the payment card information, they can use a merchant’s terminal or online payment system to perform computer-generated test transactions until a valid authorization is received. These authorization requests can accumulate into the thousands in seconds.
The fraudsters do not have the cardholder’s name, phone number, address, or PIN. They are simply trying to guess at card numbers and expiration dates to find a match.
Our fraud detection center monitors for suspicious attempts, blocks the fraudulent transaction, and calls the cardholder to verify the transaction. This means that our fraud detection center prevented fraudulent activity from occurring. It is not likely the fraudsters will try again on that card once the transaction has been blocked. They will move on to guess other card numbers looking for a successful match. Your information has not been compromised but if you suspect your card has been restricted, please call us at 309-734-9333.
No, not unless fraud was posted to your account. If all the attempts of fraud were blocked, no action is needed.
No. The card numbers in the attacks were not obtained from a compromise. The fraudsters are simply guessing card numbers and the card expiration dates. If your card has been restricted, please call us at 309-734-9333.
When the fraudsters get a successful hit on a debit card, they try to use that card information to make large internet purchases before the bank and the account owner notice the activity. Thankfully, the Security Savings Bank Fraud Detection Center has been able to block many of the “successful hits” from performing any big dollar fraud resulting from these brute force attacks.
Through your use of the Services, we may collect personal information from you in the following ways:
We also collect other types of personal information that you provide voluntarily, such as any information requested by us if you contact us via email regarding support for the Services.
220 East Broadway - Monmouth, IL
200 South Broadway - Stronghurst, IL