‘Tis the Season to Be Careful.

The Holiday Season, a time of joy in so many ways, is also a time when financial crime may spike, throwing a wrench into that joy. We’re all aware of the usual warnings about pickpockets and not leaving visible packages in our cars but there are more subtle dangers out there.

Beware of phone calls and email from someone purporting to be from your bank—whether it’s First Bank & Trust or another bank—and asking for personal or account information. Banks just don’t do that unless the customer has initiated contact. Report any such contact to your bank so that appropriate action may be taken.

And, we don’t know about you, but we at first Bank & Trust have been receiving a variety of
e-mail that is just bogus—some appearing to be from the IRS, some from the Post Office, some from a credit bureau—and all of which will cause havoc with your computer if you open the attachment provided. Keep an eye out for poor spelling and awful grammar—always a giveaway that there’s something wrong.

The “fake relative” and “stranded abroad” schemes have surfaced again. In these scenarios, someone posing as a friend or relative, calls or emails with a tale of woe indicating that they need money immediately to be sent to them because of lost or stolen ID and debit or credit cards so that they can purchase a new ticket to return home. This money is to be wired by Western Union, often in amounts just under $3,000. These calls and emails are fraudulent. Being asked to send money by Western Union is almost always a sign of a scam. ALWAYS verify this kind of request with a number or an email address YOU know to be valid, not the one you’re being given on the phone.

If you hear, read or sense that something is not true, please check it out! There are many websites that collect and comment on urban myths. Snopes.com is our go-to site but there are many others: TruthOrFiction.com and UrbanLegends.com are a few. A little skepticism these days is a healthy thing.