At Horicon Bank, the safety of your personal information is a top priority. Check out the story of a recent scam attempt below, how we helped to prevent it, and the steps we recommend to prevent it from happening to you.
A customer called the bank saying they had just received a call from someone at Horicon Bank asking to verify a transaction. But the problem was, no one from the bank had called. Here's what happened:
The customer received a call from a phone number appearing to be Horicon Bank. The voice on the other end of the phone asked the customer to verify a transaction that the customer did not initiate. The customer saw the transaction on their digital account and verified it was fraud, but thought the phone call felt a little "off." He called the bank and that's where the story starts to unfold.
After doing a little digging, bank employees found out the customer's phone had been compromised by clicking on a bad link. The scammer then gained access to the customer's personal information and was able to send out a fraudulent payment. But the scammer didn't stop there. The scammer called the customer, posing as the bank, offering to revert the transaction on their behalf. But the scammer had no plan to do so. The scammer was attempting to make the customer feel like the issue had been handled so the transaction could be processed. Because the customer had a bad feeling and called the bank, the money was able to be saved and the account protected.
How do you make sure this doesn't happen to you?
Step One: Don't click on suspicious links in texts or emails.
The Federal Trade Commission offers tips on ways to spot common phishing attempts in text or email. Learn More
Step Two: Set up Multi-Factor Authentication for all online accounts.
Multi Factor Authentication is a security feature that uses two or more pieces of information to verify the identity of a user. For example, when signing into a website, entering a password is one piece of information. But adding Multi-Factor Authentication would require an additional code when logging in. This could be a text or phone call sent to a registered phone or a code from a designated app.
We recommend starting with your digital banking. On the desktop version of Ascend Digital Banking under “Settings” choose the options for “Security.” Follow the instructions to choose either phone call, text or multi factor authentication app and enabling MFA based on user preferences.
Did you know online retailers like Amazon also offer MFA or a one-time passcode option? Even social media accounts like Facebook have this level of security to keep your personal information secure.
Step Three: If something feels "off," hang up and call the bank directly.
Even if the phone number claims to be from Horicon Bank, listen to your gut. If something feels off, hang up and call the Bank back directly.
Learn more cybersecurity tips for keeping your personal information safe from scams. (link to this page: Cybersecurity - Horicon Bank)