We have received reports of an increase in card skimming fraud occurring across the country. To best protect your financial information, it’s important to understand how the scam works and recognize the signs to avoid becoming a victim. A card skimmer is a device illegally installed on card readers to collect magnetic stripe information from […]
Mail Theft on the Rise this Holiday Season
The Alton Police Department has reported that the Alton School Street postal mail drop box is the latest target in mail thefts across the state. The mailbox has been blocked off until it can be replaced with a new anti-tamper box and the police department is encouraging residents to bring their mail directly in the […]
Businesses: Don’t Get Tricked by a Fraudulent Invoice
Businesses should be on the lookout for fraudulent invoice emails at the beginning of each month. In this common scheme, called “Invoice Fraud,” scammers take advantage of the fact that many businesses receive an influx of invoices around this time and try to trick employees into giving out information, sending funds or clicking on links. […]
Common Check Scam on the Rise
Our Fraud specialists have learned about an increase in a common check scam in the local area. Scammers steal legitimate checks from the mail and alter or recreate the checks with new signatures, payees and often raised amounts. The checks are often difficult to uncover using standard fraud review at financial institutions as they share […]
Fraudsters Posing as Fraud Center Representatives
Local community members are reporting receiving fake fraud alert text messages and calls claiming to be from their bank. In some cases, the messages use a local bank name or “spoof”/mask the caller ID appear to be from a bank phone number The scam begins when a victim receives a fake fraud alert by text […]
Be on the Lookout for Phishing Emails Posing as Online Companies
There has been a recent uptick in phishing emails from well-known online services, like Office 365 and Zoom. The emails received direct victims to click on a fake link and provide their usernames and passwords. Victims that receive these emails and click on the link are sent to a CAPTCHA verification page, which is used […]
Business Email Compromises Leading to Large Fraud Losses Statewide
Our Cyber Security Team has notified us of a new cybercrime targeting businesses across the state. In the scheme, known as Business Email Compromise (BEC) or Email Account Compromise (EAC), hackers impersonate a known email contact, such as a vendor, a government agency or a company executive to attempt to gain unauthorized information or access […]
Amazon Refund Scam Resurfaces
Community members are reporting a recent increase in fraudulent calls regarding Amazon refunds. Victims of the scam have indicated that an “Amazon representative” contacted them by telephone to issue a refund that they were not expecting. In some instances the representative states the refund is a result of fraud on their Amazon account and other […]
Fraudsters May Call. You Don’t Have to Answer.
Con-artists, fraudsters, scammers – whichever you prefer to call them – will play on your emotions, whether it is a scare tactic or playing on our goodwill, to get the information they need to conduct the next steps of their fraudulent scheme. A common scheme for fraudsters is to contact you stating that there has […]
Paycheck Protection Program Application Deadline Extended to May 31
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is currently offering Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans via local banks through May 31st as part of the the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. This Act allows new loan applications to the program, originally set to expire on March 31, for two more months and give the SBA 30 additional […]