We recently discovered that some of our customers received phone calls from scammers pretending to be bank representatives and asking for sensitive information like mother’s maiden name, Social Security numbers, entire card numbers and personal identification numbers.
There are a number of phishing techniques that scammers can use to obtain your personal information, like:
- Spoofing the phone number or email address so it looks like it’s coming from a reputable source.
- Embedding a link in an email that redirects you to an unsecure website.
- Installing a Trojan, a type of malicious code or software that looks legitimate but takes control of your computer. These are sent through an email attachment or ad which allows the criminal to steal your sensitive data and gain access to your computer.
Always double check who’s requesting your personal or financial information. Never give out your information over the phone, through mail or online unless you initiated contact first. If someone calls you and claims to be a bank representative—and asks for sensitive information—do not provide them anything. Hang up and call our Customer Service Center at 800-455-6126.
To help combat fraud, we recommend all Heritage Bank customers use the CardValet app to monitor transactions and setup alerts. Apple, Samsung and Google Pay are another great option as a token number is given to the merchant instead of your card information.
If you believe there has been fraud on your account, call us immediately at 800-455-6126 to begin the dispute process.