Phone Call Card Scam
Some of our customers are receiving phone calls stating their debit or credit card has been blocked, canceled, compromised, or their rate has been changed. They are then instructed to “press 1” and enter their full 16-digit account number for further assistance.
THESE CALLS ARE A SCAM.
Should you receive a phone call like this, please just hang up! Never give your card number, personal information or account information to an unknown caller. If you believe you have given your information out to a caller like this, contact us immediately at (319) 854-6104 or email info@exchangestatebank.net .
The Exchange State Bank utilizes Falcon from Shazam to monitor debit card fraud. Falcon will reach out to you by text or phone call to confirm a purchase attempt on your debit card. A representative from Falcon or from The Exchange State Bank will NEVER ask you for your full debit card number or social security number to identify you.
Common Scams
You receive a phone call or email notifying you that there's been a BIG purchase on your online shopping account. They say "if you didn't authorize this purchase, contact us immediately by clicking on this link or calling this number". SCAM! Do not contact them via the method they request of you. Go to your online shopping account directly and check your order history. If you don't see anything abnormal, you know it was a scammer reaching out to you. If you do see something abnormal, contact the company directly through your account.
Enter our FREE Sweepstakes for a chance to win! Sounds good, right? But when you go in to sign up, they want your debit card information? That doesn't sound FREE! SCAM! These sweepstakes or raffles often have hidden fees or verbiage in their fine print that authorizes them to take money out of your account for future sweepstakes or raffles. They will provide some statement about why they need your card information that will seem legitimate at the time, but free means free. There is no legitimate reason for them to have your debit card information unless they intend to charge a transaction to it. If you want to move forward with your entry, do yourself a favor and READ the disclosures, agreements and "fine print" before completing the entry.
You click on a link on your computer and suddenly your computer is not working. Someone reaches out to you by chat, email or phone call to let you know they can take care of the virus on your computer. SCAM! Immediately disconnect your computer from the internet and contact your anti-virus provider, IT Company or someone in person that can help you get the virus off of your computer.
You WON something!! Just click on the link to collect your prize. Ask yourself... did you sign up to win something? More than likely... SCAM!
We've got the product for you! Try a free SAMPLE! SCAM-ISH. The company may be legitimate, but you have to READ THAT FINE PRINT. You are authorizing a company to send you a free sample that you agree to pay shipping for and you think that's all. Often times, you are actually agreeing to allow the company start sending you a monthly supply of that product unless you cancel in "X" amount of days. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to when you accept their offer of a sample or free "30 day supply". If you receive anything in the mail you did not expect to receive, reach out to the company and return the product immediately.
You're scrolling through social media and find an advertisement that has some awesome shoes for DIRT CHEAP that are normally very expensive. If it seems too good to be true, it is. SCAM! Ads are a great way for scammers to get your attention and send you to a website that is not legitimate. If you see an ad that intrigues you, skip clicking on the ad and go to the company's website directly to look for the deal on their website. If it's not there, more than likely the ad was a scam.
Speaking of social media. You are looking for a new gaming system for your grandson for his birthday and you come across a steal-of-a-deal from someone selling one on social media. Just pay shipping!! SCAM! Buying from someone online through social media can be very risky. Do the best you can to find out who the person is that is selling you the item. Ask yourself the following questions: Are they a real person? Do you know anyone that knows them? How can you verify they truly have the item? Scammers are very good at making fake posts look legitimate. Once you send them the money, it's gone and you will likely be unable to contact them again! If someone seems fishy, don't do it! If they are asking you to pay a way you are unfamiliar with and not comfortable doing, DON'T DO IT!
You receive a phone call that a family member is in prison in another country and you need to pay to get them out quickly. SCAM! Hang up and contact the family member directly.
You are notified by phone that you owe the IRS money and need to pay them immediately. SCAM! Government agencies, like the IRS, typically conduct business through mail.
You get an email or call to find out you inherited land or money from a long lost relative. SCAM!
Someone reached out to you because you won something or they are offering you money to do something for them or anything that's out of the ordinary and to pay you, they've sent you a check. But oops... they realized they sent you too much and ask that when you receive the check, you send them back the difference. SCAM! It takes days for a check you deposit to clear. These scams hurry you to send them money from the check before the check can be returned to the bank as fraudulent. By that time, the scammer has the money you sent them and you are in debt to the bank to cover the check.
Red Flags
Here are some red flags that should make you stop and think before providing your account or personal information to someone:
- You weren't expecting to hear from this company and/or you don't have a relationship with this company.
- You're being asked to provide banking account information or card information that you have previously provided to this company. There's no reason a company that already has your information on file would need you to provide a full account or card number for any reason. The may ask you for the last 4 digits of your card number to identify you, but a full number should not be required.
- When you mention that you'd like to call your bank first and you're told "No, don't contact your bank". BIG, BIG, BIG Red Flag!
- You're being asked to put money on some kind of gift card to pay for something.
- You're being asked to sign into your online banking. There is ZERO reason a company should ask you to sign in to your online banking so they can help you with something.
- Text messages from an unknown number requesting information or asking you to click on a link.
- You likely get several fraudulent emails a day. The spam filter will not catch them all! Seeing any of the following in an email should be a red flag:
- Email verbiage contains bad grammar and/or misspelled words.
- Email address it's coming from is not familiar.
- Email address it's coming from is similar to someone you know, but not the exact same.
- Email includes a threat or sense of urgency.
- Email asks you for your personal information, banking information or online banking credentials.
- Unexpected Email or Email from someone you do not personally know requests you to click on a link or open an attachment.
- Clicking on links or opening attachments can allow viruses to be downloaded on your device immediately. Once you click, you can't stop it! NEVER open a link or attachment you were not expecting from an unknown source.
Trust Your Gut
With all the scams out there these days, it's important to be cautious and careful with your information. Trust your gut. If you are feeling pressured to do something you are not comfortable with, take a moment to step back and reach out to someone you trust for guidance. You can NOT be too careful. When in doubt, please Contact Us! Keeping your personal information and money SAFE is our number one concern. If you feel you've been a victim of a scam, please reach out to us immediately.