Your security matters

keep your information secure from scammers

The number and frequency of scam attempts continue to grow, even in our region. It's important to always keep a skeptical mind when it comes to any contact to you regarding your financial information. 

The main rule of thumb to keep yourself safe and your information secure is to ask yourself - Was I expecting this call or contact?  Did I initiate this contact? If you answered NO to either of these questions, be very cautious of the contact. 

Here are some examples:

• Text messaging, calls or emails claiming to be the bank
  
  • Be wary whenever you receive a call, text or email claiming to be the bank. There are fraudsters out there who are good at pretending to be your bank needing information - many times claiming to be helping you prevent fraud. IT'S OKAY to ask to call the bank back or verify the contact is from the bank.  Follow your gut and be sure you know who you are talking to. 
  • United Prairie Bank does indeed contact you when a transaction appears to be fraudulent, but we WILL NEVER contact you to ask you for your account information, social security number, login or password information, or any other personal identifying information. 
  • Fraudulent text messages or emails will often provide a link that takes you to a scammer's website that will ask you to enter your account or password information so that they scammers can record your information and use it fraudulently.
• Romance, grandparent or online sales scams
  • Romance scammers create fictional online personalities intended to gain the trust and affection of those who they wish to defraud. They will eventually ask for the target's online account information or debt/credit card information to access their funds. 
  • Grandparent scammers will often go on social media to gather some personal information of a grandchild of their target. They will then call the grandparents pretending to be the grandchild or police and press for money to help their grandchild out of a troubling situation. 
  • Online sales scammers often sell higher-end products like cars, jewelry, name brand items for cheaper prices. They will pressure their targets for a quick sales and request payment through pre-loaded gift cards, wire transfers or through other online payment sources like Venmo or online auction sites like eBay. Then the targets who pay for their purchased merchandise do not receive it and are unable to retrieve their funds.
• Account Takeovers
  • Account takeover is an attack in which cybercriminals take ownership of online accounts using stolen passwords and usernames. These cybercriminals then use these credentials to commit fraud and often steal money from the account holder or set up new, fraudulent accounts or credit under the stolen names. 
  • These scammers can use personal information found on the dark web, from information breaches, and even from direct contacts to victims via email, calls and other methods to capture information. 
  • Be careful the information that you share on your social media platforms. Information like maiden names, pet names, birth dates, children's names and other personal information can help fraudsters break into your accounts or pretend to be you. Make sure your social media settings are set to private so that strangers cannot access all of your posts and info.   

reports of texts about debit card activity

A number of United Prairie Bank clients have reached out regarding some messages they've received via text stating to call a phone number listed regarding "Unusual activity on #DebitCard - Limited Alert". These messages are not originated from United Prairie Bank. See an example of the text below.

• United Prairie Bank will never ask you to call in an automated phone system to enter your card or account information regarding debit card activities. If you are ever unsure about a contact claiming to be your bank, please reach out. 

be aware of online banking scams

The FBI and other consumer protection agencies have published information about a new ongoing scam that involves con-artists contacting bank customers to falsely inform them that their online banking account has been compromised. The scammers ask the customers to login to their online banking account to change their password to a specific. Once it's reset by the customer, the attacker accesses the customer's account and can drain their funds in a number of different ways. 

PLEASE NOTE:

• United Prairie Bank will never contact you with a password to use or ask you for your online banking account password. You are always in control of your account passwords.
• A best practice to help keep safe from scammers who use social engineering by using information from your social media account is to review your privacy settings on social media and restrict who can interact or view your pages. 

Here is an informative article for more information about this scam.

resources to trust

Below is a list of trusted resources that provide valuable and timely information for you on how to avoid scams and fraud and what to do if you have fallen victim. 

• FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation): https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes 
• FTC (Federal Trad Commission): https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams
• CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) : https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/avoiding-scams/

tools to trust

We have a number of banking tools available that can help you keep in touch with your information and feel confident that you are in control.

Mobile Banking App

• Accounts - Keep an eye on your transactions and balances
• Cards - Many options to control and monitor your debit card activities, including
  • Turn on or off your card
  • See additional, specific purchase info
  • Set up transaction alerts and controls
• Learn more

Account Alerts

• Set up email or text push notifications through online or mobile banking
  • Be notified for a variety of different activities on your account
• Learn more

Call Us

• If you are unsure about a contact you received, call us. We can validate if the source is legitimate or not.