Scammers are impersonating officials & threatening you with arrest for FAKE warrants. They target your fear to steal money.
Remember: Legitimate matters won’t involve scare tactics or cash demands. Be smart, stay safe!
Banks across the nation are seeing an alarming increase in customers withdrawing large sums of cash and entering the cash into a local cryptocurrency ATM based on instructions received from a scammer.
Scammers may try to convince their victims to lie to anyone who asks questions. Please keep this in mind when we are asking questions and informing our customers about scams. Our goal is to make you stop and think about what is going on.
Claiming there is an immediate issue with your account requiring immediate action and often attempting to pressure you into staying on the phone and not hanging up. They will often try to convince you that it may be an inside job and they can’t contact anyone else at the bank, or risk compromising their investigation.
They often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency (bitcoin), wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, using a payment app, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card.
Soliciting account numbers, PINs, or one-time codes received via text or phone.
Using phone numbers that appear similar to First Century Bank’s official contact numbers.
Employing scare tactics such as claiming legal action, account closure, or even physical harm if you do not cooperate. They may also attempt to prevent you from reaching out for help by claiming they will get in trouble if you tell anyone about the call.
Phishing scams remain a prevalent form of cybercrime. Even emails with seemingly legitimate appearances can harbor malicious intent. To safeguard your personal information and security, please exercise caution when interacting with electronic messages. Refrain from clicking links or opening attachments in emails or text messages that appear unexpected or suspicious.
Romance scams happen often online so be careful on dating apps! Fake profiles trick people into trusting them, then ask for money. This is the most common and sneaky of all scams. Even though these online romance scams are common, they can be avoided. Learn how scammers work and don’t share personal information or money with people you don’t know well. If you think you’ve been scammed, help is available.
Safeguarding your personal and financial information is crucial during your job search. Be wary of any unsolicited job offer requiring upfront financial transactions or access to your financial accounts. Legitimate employers will always prioritize established channels for financial information exchange.
Please be advised that First Century Bank will never initiate contact via text message or phone call and request account information. To safeguard your financial data, we recommend:
We encourage you to remain vigilant and adopt additional security measures, such as:
Scammers often pretend to be contacting you on behalf of the government. They might use a real name, like the FTC, Social Security Administration, IRS, or Medicare, Federal Reserve, or make up a name that sounds official. Some pretend to be from a business you know, like a your bank, utility company, a tech company, or even a charity asking for donations.
They use technology to change the phone number that appears on your caller ID. So the name and number you see might not be real.
They might say you’re in trouble with the government. Or you owe money. Or someone in your family had an emergency. Or that there’s a virus on your computer.
Some scammers say there’s a problem with one of your accounts and that you need to verify some information.
Others will lie and say you won money in a lottery or sweepstakes but have to pay a fee to get it.
Scammers want you to act before you have time to think. If you’re on the phone, they might tell you not to hang up so you can’t check out their story.
They might threaten to arrest you, sue you, take away your driver’s or business license, or deport you. They might say your computer is about to be corrupted.
They often insist that you can only pay by using cryptocurrency, wiring money through a company like MoneyGram or Western Union, using a payment app, or putting money on a gift card and then giving them the numbers on the back of the card.
Some will send you a check (that will later turn out to be fake), then tell you to deposit it and send them money.
If you have any concerns or suspect you may have been a victim of this scam, please do not hesitate to contact us immediately.
First Century Bank is committed to safeguarding your financial information. We take proactive measures to combat fraud and maintain robust security systems. However, your vigilance remains crucial in protecting your accounts. By following these guidelines and remaining vigilant, you can help prevent fraudulent actors from accessing your sensitive information.
Click Here to view the PDF presentation.
