Every day, thousands of people fall victim to scammers pretending to be from their bank. Scammers reach out via email, text, or a phone call with an urgent warning about an issue with your account or a suspicious transaction. Regardless of their method, their goal is the same – to trick you into providing account information including PIN over the phone or through a link they provide – so they can steal your money.
Protect Yourself with These 5 Tips to Spot and Prevent a Bank Imposter Scam
Tip 1: Don’t trust your Caller ID.
Scammers may be able to make their phone number appear on your caller ID as “Marine Bank.”
Step 2: Don’t share private account information.
Marine Bank employees will never ask for your PIN, password, or one-time access codes. This information should always be private and never shared.
Step 3: Ignore requests to send a payment to solve a problem.
Marine Bank employees will never ask you to send money to anyone to "reverse a transfer," "receive a refund," or anything similar. If a correction is needed, we have your account information.
Step 4: Ignore transaction requests you didn’t initiate.
If you receive a one-time access code to authorize a transaction you didn't initiate, don't use the code or share it with anyone, even if they claim to be from Marine Bank. One-time access codes should never be shared.
Step 5: Suspicious? Hang up and contact us directly.
If you receive an unsolicited phone call that seems like bank spoofing, hang up immediately. If you receive a suspicious text, don’t respond. Contact your local Marine Bank (see below).
How to report bank imposter fraud:
If you sent a payment or shared private account information related to a bank spoofing call, email or text, please contact your local Marine Bank (see below) immediately.
If possible, please include these details:
- Call date, time, and your time zone
- Number or identification that appeared on caller ID
- Phone number the impersonator called to reach you
- Other details about the interaction
- Attach a screenshot of your mobile phone’s call history, if available
Still have questions? Please call or drop by your local Marine Bank to speak to a knowledgeable banking professional.