Decorah Bank & Trust says scammers are calling customers while posing as bank staff, and some calls appear to come from the bank's real main number.
Decorah Bank & Trust is warning customers about phone calls from scammers who pretend to work for the bank. In a security alert issued Tuesday, Oct. 20, the bank said some of these calls have looked like they came from its own main number, 563-382-9661. The goal is to get your online banking login or other private details.
According to the alert, callers have posed as the bank's call center or fraud department. Others claimed to be employees of Decorah Bank or Cresco Bank. They may say a payment through the automated clearing house (ACH), an electronic bank-to-bank transfer, was flagged as fraud. Or they may say several attempts to process a payment failed. Then they ask you to help fix the problem.
The scammers use phone number spoofing. That means they fake the number that shows up on your screen. A familiar name or number does not prove who is calling. Caller ID can be made to show almost anything.
The bank was blunt about this. It said, "Decorah and Cresco Bank will NEVER call you to request your personal details or sensitive information over the phone."
Customers of Decorah Bank and Cresco Bank are the clear targets, since the scammers use those names. The material does not say how many people were called or whether anyone lost money. It also does not name other banks. Still, a call that urges you to act fast on a payment problem deserves doubt no matter who your bank is.
The alert box above lists the steps. The key point is to end the call and reach the bank yourself, rather than staying on the line or calling back a number the caller gave you. The bank lists Decorah Bank at 563-382-9661 and Cresco Bank at 563-547-2244 for questions and for reporting a suspicious call. Do not give the caller any personal or financial information, even to prove you are who you say you are.
If a caller says there is a problem with your bank account, hang up and contact the bank yourself, because caller ID can be faked.
Scammers are emailing Humboldt County well permit applicants and demanding $5,960 before a permit is issued. The county says the fee is fake.
Read more: Fake County Emails Demand $5,960 Fee for Well PermitsCallers posing as the Sheriff's Office told a Sarasota County woman she missed jury duty. She lost over $40,000, and the same scam is hitting others.
Read more: Fake jury duty calls cost one Florida woman over $40,000Europol warns that scam callers can fake the number on your screen, so the safest move is to hang up and call back using a number you found yourself.
Read more: Got a suspicious call? Hang up and look up the number yourself
