At SouthEast Bank, your information security is our priority. Our role, to empower you with the tools and resources to help you make confident decisions on your financial journey, includes arming you with a better understanding of how to protect your personal and financial information along the way.
Sometimes, however, scammers take advantage of the relationship between banks and their customers by posing as a bank representative, sending you alarming or threatening voicemails, texts, emails, or physical mail about the state of your account. If you were to provide these scammers with valuable personal data, even accidentally, it could have ramifications for your financial and emotional well-being.
We’re here with reminders about the common ways that scammers may try to access your information so that you can better identify and prevent those threats, even when they appear to come from a trusted source like your bank.
If you are unsure of the source of anyone claiming to represent SouthEast Bank, don’t hesitate to contact us. The sooner you alert us to the situation, the sooner we can help protect you and other customers from potential scams!
How to Identify the Most Common Types of Scams
Screen phone calls or texts from numbers you don’t recognize
The most immediate way a scammer may attempt to contact you is by phone. We’re used to answering calls or replying to messages quickly, and we may not second-guess who is contacting us or why, especially in a busy or distracted moment.
Scammers use this to their advantage by sending urgent-sounding messages to gain access to your information. They may contact you about an “unusual charge” that you need to log into your account to review. They may call and say they are from your bank’s fraud department, or send you a text claiming that your account is at risk or has been frozen. The end goal is the same: for you to say or enter your personal information.
Do not reply to or engage with these messengers or click any links texted to you. Instead, contact a trusted representative of your financial institution by using the phone number on the card associated with your account or the official phone number listed on their webpage.
Review emails and letters carefully to ensure they are from a trusted sender
Similarly, common email scams relay misinformation about your account, stating that there is a problem with your account or that you need to verify recent activity. These emails may use urgent or threatening language and will often include an attachment or a link to a fake website.
You can often spot these scams by taking a close look at the email address of the sender, which may be unofficial, include spelling errors, or otherwise appear strange. The links they provide may look real but pay attention to the URL to confirm legitimacy. For instance, “yourbank.com” is not the same as “urbank-login.com.” If you are unsure whether you’re logging into the right place, visit your institution’s homepage directly and navigate from there, rather than through the email. Treat attachments sent with unsolicited emails with the same caution.
Another way that people may try to access your information or solicit your business is by using your financial insitution’s name in a mailer. This is more frequently targeted toward loan account holders; in any case, it is important to read these types of communication with the same level of care to the sender and message. Was it your institution that sent this to you, or someone using your institution’s name to illicit a response from you?
Be wary of requests for personal information
Regardless of how you may be contacted, it is important to treat anyone asking for your personal data with scrutiny. Here are a few distinctions for how and why you may be asked to provide your information.
If you call your financial institution about your account, it’s safe to assume that the bank representative will confirm your identity before relaying sensitive account-related information. However, if you receive an unprompted message, you shouldn’t be asked to confirm who you are to this extent, regardless of if the caller is legitimate or not. For instance, when you choose to be a SouthEast Bank customer, we may contact you by phone, text, or email, depending on your preferences. However, we will never initiate a conversation by asking for personal information such as your account number, pin, or password.
Any unsolicited communication that prompts you to provide personal information should be dealt with carefully.
Information Security Rules to Remember:
The strategies that scammers employ to try to get to you and your information evolve with time and technology. However, there are some guidelines to keep in consideration when dealing with messages you may receive by phone, email, or mail.
- Unsolicited communication instructing you to take urgent action should be treated with caution. Cybercriminals often try to create a sense of urgency to trick you into falling for a scams. If you’re worried about not acting quickly enough in regards to your account, take a moment to consider what is being asked of you and why.
- Beware of unexpected requests for money, including payments claiming to be for fees, taxes, or penalties. Be sure to confirm the source and legitimacy of the payment request before providing financial information.
- Legitimate institutions and organizations will not ask you provide sensitive or personal information through email. Always make sure that you are using the organization’s official website before entering any user credentials or other identifying information.
- If you’re uncertain about the validity of the communication or sender, read all parts of their message carefully. Scammers may betray themselves in the smaller details, like email address spelling, spacing or capitalization, or other errors. If you’re still unsure, contact the institution in question directly (through their official website, NOT through the contact information provided in the message) to confirm if it came from them or not.
