Phone Phishing Scam Strikes Two More Banks
Kansas, NY Institutions Say Customers Targeted by Fraudsters Financial institutions in Kansas and New York report that their customers have received automated phone messages trying to trick them into giving out their banking information. These attacks follow an earlier spate of phone phishing attacks that hit 10 financial institutions in three other states.Union State Bank in Arkansas City, KS reported to law enforcement on Oct. 19 that customers have received an automated message that their Visa debit card had been deactivated for suspicious activity.
A similar phone message was heard by the customers of the Solvay Bank, Solvay, NY also starting Oct. 19.
In the case of Union State Bank, the bank's management is concerned because no specific bank is named in the automated call. "Anyone could be targeted, not just Union State Bank customers," says John Sturd, president of the bank. In the call, the customer is asked to enter a card number, expiration data and security code. No one has reported to the bank that they gave out their account information. The bank posted an alert about the scam on its website and has fielded numerous calls from customers asking about the automated message.
In the Solvay Bank case, law enforcement traced the scam to ATM withdrawals at a bank in Romania. At least three Solvay Bank customers gave detailed information to the caller, law enforcement says, which led to the scammers withdrawing as much as $400 from each account through the overseas ATM.
Law enforcement also say its investigation shows that the phone calls are coming from phone systems of unknowing businesses that have had their systems hacked into -- the same way other institutions were targeted in the earlier phishing scams.