Have you ever gotten a strange text message claiming to be from your bank? If so, you may have been targeted by a scammer. Impersonation and phishing scams will frequently claim that there’s an issue with your bank card to steal your information.
How Does This Scam Work?
Typically a scammer will send a text message. We have several examples of this in our online phone book:
(855) 733-6273: Received text message: Your Bank of America Card Account has been deactivated for security reasons. Follow http://boa-security.com and verify your information securely! This is clearly not a message from Bank of America.
The text often claims to be with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, or Citi. Scammers choose to include the largest bank branches in their texts in order to claim the most victims.
In other variations of this scam you may receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank. They will say that they suspect fraudulent charges and need to ask you some security questions. Using caller ID spoofing the caller will mask their actual phone number.
Can You Protect Yourself From the Bank Card Not Working Phone Scam?
Yes, this scam can be very avoidable. Always be wary when you receive a text message or call requesting personal and financial information. Follow these tips to make sure you avoid this scam:
Verify the claim.
If you get a call or text saying your cards been compromised, call the toll-free number that appears on the back of your card. Don’t call any other numbers that have been provided.
Avoid strange URLs.
Scam texts will often contain a URL, if the URL in the text doesn’t match the URL of your bank’s official website do not click it. If you look at the user feedback above, the text that was received contained the URL “http://boa-security.com”. This doesn’t match Bank of America’s official website URL “https://www.bankofamerica.com”. Clicking on these fake URLs can contaminate your phone with malware, or bring you to a site which requests your sensitive information.
Check the number.
Use a reverse phone lookup app, like CallerSmart, to identify numbers that you don’t recognize. Check for suspicious feedback on numbers that try to get in touch with, it’s likely that many people in your community are being targeted and not just you.
How to Report the Scam
If you’ve received a text or call saying your bank card isn’t working, don’t panic. Instead, call the number on the back of your card and check directly with your bank. If it turns out to be attempted fraud report it to your bank.
Make sure that you have the number that contacted you and any other relevant information that will help your bank warn other customers about the threat.
You can also report this type of fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and leave your feedback on the number that contacted you here in our online yellow pages. You can also download our caller ID app for iPhone to block spam calls and see community feedback on phone numbers while you’re on the go.