Many banks have recently reported an increase in spoofing attempts. Spoofing is a type of scam where criminals reach out to people under the guise of an individual or more often an organization, such as their financial institution.
Spoofing scams will appear to be from a known phone number in order to win a person’s trust. A scammer’s goal with spoofing is usually to gain access to financial accounts, access data, steal money, or spread malware.
It’s also important to note that a spoofing scam will often be followed by a vishing attempt. For example, if you respond to a text that looked legitimate but was actually spoofed, the scammer will likely follow up by calling you to ask questions that reveal identifiable information, including online banking credentials.
How GCSB communicates
At Guthrie County State Bank, we will never ask account holders to click links or open attachments via text message. In our text communications, if we ever ask you to do something or reply, it is simply a YES or NO action.
Our phone calls can come from a variety of phone numbers, including but not limited to 641-332-2218 (Guthrie Center location) and 641-755-2400 (Panora location) among others. Remember, as your trusted bank, we will never ask for any sensitive information over the phone.
Additionally, any emails from Guthrie County State Bank will come from a GCSB email domain (@gcsbank.com).
Learn the 4 U’s
In order to avoid spoofing scams, remember these 4 U’s:
- Urgency – Guthrie County State Bank doesn’t pressure account holders to take urgent actions.
- Unexpected – We will never ask you to open links in text messages.
- Unnerving – GCSB does not use threatening language in its communications.
- Under No Circumstance – We do not request personal, identifiable information from you. This includes PINs, full debit card numbers, SSNs, passwords or online banking credentials.
Remember, at Guthrie County State Bank we are here 4 U! Keep these 4 U’s in mind whenever you think you may have received a suspicious communication from us or any trusted organization. Stay safe out there against scammers and join us again for future Fraud Fridays.