March 6, 2021

The unfortunate reality is that fraud can happen to anyone. How you, and your financial institution, respond is crucial. Take a look at this testimonial from a FirstBank customer who received a fraudulent phishing email from an individual posing as a customer service representative. The scammer began by notifying them of an attempted fraudulent purchase on the account.

“I get so many emails every day and since I do regularly use this online retailer, I just assumed that this was a legitimate email. They requested to have remote access to my personal computer so that they could process my refund for the fraudulent activity. This is when I really started to question if this was legitimate, but I provided them the information.”

Once they had been given this access to the online banking profile, the scammers had attempted to transfer $2,500.00 out of the account using a money transfer service.

“After their transfer was unsuccessful, a FirstBank Fraud Representative had reached out to verify if the activity was legitimate. FirstBank’s system had identified the charge as fraudulent and blocked the transfer from even occurring. If their department hadn’t been fast and efficient, I would have been out that money!”

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it is estimated that last year alone more than $1.7 billion dollars was lost due to fraudulent activity.  Being aware of these scams and having the tools to identify fraudulent situations will be your best weapon against falling victim to one of the countless schemes that affect Americans daily. To better protect yourself, here’s what you need to know.

What You Need to Know

  • People who try to scam others out of money often disguise themselves as a trusted individual i.e.- government officials, distant relatives, and technical support representatives from reputable companies.
  • Scammers can “spoof” or manipulate their out-bound caller-ID to make their phone number appear to be from someone else.
  • These scammers will often use aggressive scare tactics and threats to get people to comply with their demands.
  • Legitimate outstanding bills, warrants, or court fees will not be paid back using gift cards of any kind.
  • Use caution when selling or purchasing things online. If someone accidentally overpays you with a check for something you sold online and asks you to pay them back for that overpayment, this is a scam.

If you believe any of your personal or banking information has been compromised, cease any contact with the scammer and notify FirstBank by calling 1-800-964-3444.

At FirstBank, we work diligently to keep your accounts save and secure.  For more information on how to protect you and your accounts visit our Customer Fraud Protection page.

“This page may contain links to external websites. These links are displayed for your convenience. FirstBank does not manage these sites and assumes no responsibility for the content, links, privacy policy, or security policy.”

Related Posts