ONLINE SCAMS

Please be wary of online scams: fake anti-virus alerts, fake online deals, phony social media promotions, and even scam phone calls. One of the best ways to avoid financial fraud and identify theft is to educate yourself about how to identify red flags of commons scams. A good place to start is the Commons Scams and Crimes web page published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In addition to reviewing the above website, Trustco Bank recommends that you be skeptical of social media and/or other online advertisements which seem too good to be true. You should also be cautious of unexpected phone calls, emails, and text messages. Fraudsters may also try to trick you into releasing your account or personal information by creating a false level of concern, such as by informing you of a fictitious charge against your account.

If you become concerned that you may have exposed your account number, debit card number, or other sensitive information to scammers, you should contact Trustco Bank's Customer Service Department as 1-800-670-3110 or visit your local branch immediately.

Phishing & Smishing Awareness

Phishing & Smishing are scams where scammers will send you an email or SMS (text) message that appears to be from a legitimate company and the email or SMS is designed to trick you into giving them your personal information or even your money! The scammers often pretend to be companies such as popular streaming services, online payment systems or other large merchants that you might already have accounts with. They will make the email or SMS appear to be an urgent matter and imply that if you do not respond, funds will be taken from your account, or your services will be shut off. Do not fall for these scams; please be wary, even when you receive emails from companies that you frequently do business with.

Here are a few tips to help protect yourself against these scams:

  • Always verify before you respond! If you need to verify whether the email you received is legitimate, look up the company’s phone number and contact them via phone (do not use the phone number that is provided in the email).
  • Companies generally do not contact you to ask for your username or password via email. They also do not contact you for your bank account numbers, debit card numbers, debit card PIN’s and social security number.
  • Carefully examine the email address, URL and spelling/fonts used in any correspondence. You can often hover over the email address and URL to see more details or gain the full description in order to decide if the email seems look it is actually coming from the company they are claiming to be.
  • Do not click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. When you click on these email scams you will be sent to a fake website that is solely used to steal your information.
  • Avoid downloading anything from these suspicious emails. Never open an email attachment from someone you do not know and be wary of any email attachments that are forwarded to you.
  • Simply delete these emails. Avoid blocking the email address or selecting the unsubscribe option. This will alert the scammer that your email account is live and they will continue to send attempts to trick you.
  • Set up two-factor or multi-factor authentication on any account that allows you to and never disable it. Many companies have this technology and it’s an excellent way to prevent fraud.

If you become concerned that you may have exposed your account number, debit card number, or other sensitive information to scammers, you should contact Trustco Bank's Customer Service Department as 1-800-670-3110 or visit your local branch immediately.

For more information on Fraud Prevention please visit https://www.trustcobank.com/online-banking/fraud-prevention-alerts/

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Vishing Awareness

Vishing or voice phishing, is a non-technical attack that takes place over the phone. In this form of social engineering, criminals will represent themselves as a bank employee, member of law enforcement or government official in order to trick you to provide confidential information. A vishing call can come from an automated machine or a live person.

Scammers will pretend that there is a problem with your bank account then request your confidential information to remediate the issue. If the person called you, you should never tell the caller any one-time code sent to you by text or email. Other confidential information you should not give when a person is calling you include: account numbers, passwords, debit card PIN, debit card number, and/or social security number.

Here is how to detect and prevent vishing attacks:

  • Recognize if there’s a sense of frantic urgency in the tone of the caller. A demanding tone will indicate that the scammer is trying to capitalize on fear and panic to push you into complying with their scheme.
  • Trustco Bank staff will not call or text message you to ask for one-time codes or your confidential information.
    Be on alert for any unexpected governmental agency calls such as IRS, Medicare, or the Social Security Administration. If you haven’t requested to be contacted by any of these agencies, it is most likely a scam.
  • Be extremely cautious of any unsolicited offers you receive by phone, particularly if they appear too good to be true (for instance, 50% off your cable or energy bill)
  • Try to avoid answering calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Vishing scammers sometimes leave voicemails with a callback number. Do not call a number back without verifying it belongs to a business or someone that you know.
  • Do not rely on your caller ID. Scammers are routinely spoofing legitimate numbers of established companies.
  • Do not give any caller confidential information, even if they know some of your personal information already. Scammers can steal personal information from other sources or find it on the dark web and they will use this information to trick you into providing them with more information. Do not trust a caller even if they know some of your personal information.
  • Trustco Bank will never ask you for any confidential information unless you call us first.
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'SPOOFED' Caller-ID Telephone Calls from Trustco Bank

Customers and non-customers are getting calls from what appears to be Trustco Bank. The callers ask for credit card/debit card and Social Security Number information. The Caller ID and Caller display reads 'Trustco Bank'. The Caller ID is being 'Spoofed'.

If someone claims to be calling from Trustco Bank and is asking for Account/Credit card/Debit card information or Social Security information do not give them such information over the phone. Even if your Caller ID shows the call to be coming from Trustco Bank. We are aware of this issue and are working to get to stop it. Do not give out personal information over the phone. Trustco Bank will never call you to ask for personal information. If you have any questions, contact your local branch or customer service at 1-800-670-3110.

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FRAUDULENT CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES - DEBIT CARD

Customers and non-customers are receiving fraudulent calls and text messages about Trustco Bank Debit cards. These fraudulent communications are attempts to take over your debit card. The calls and messages have had spoofed caller ID so that they appear to come from Trustco Bank.

Trustco Bank staff will not call or text message to ask for your Debit Card PIN, debit card number, account numbers, passwords, mother's maiden name, and/or social security number. Always keep this information private, even at home.

If you receive any calls or messages regarding your debit card, please contact Trustco Bank directly at 1-800-670-3110 before taking any other action, or visit your local branch.

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WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST CHECK FRAUD
  • Limit the number of check you write. Utilize our online bill pay feature to send payments to merchants. You can also use Zelle through our online banking system for person-to-person payments. Only send money to people or merchants you know.
  • Monitor your account frequently. Go online and review your accounts every single day if possible. Turn on notifications through our online banking or mobile app to notify you when withdrawals are made from your account. We can help resolve the matter the quicker we are notified of an error.
  • When mailing a check is necessary, hand deliver them to a USPS worker at your local USPS location or whenever possible, hand deliver your check directly to the payee. Try to avoid leaving them in your home mailbox or dropping them in a stand-alone blue USPS box as mail theft from these two places is increasing.
  • Use pens with blue or black gel ink. Gel ink is permanent and harder to remove or alter.
  • Spell everything out completely, do not abbreviate. Use the entire name of the merchant or person and indicate the amount of the check with both number and words spelled out. Try to avoid leaving large blank spaces in the number or amount lines on checks. Do not included unnecessary information on checks such as your driver’s license number or telephone numbers.
  • Lastly, store your checkbook and checks in a safe, secure place. Do not leave checkbooks, purses or wallets visible in your car or any other public place.
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COVID 19 STIMULUS SCAMS

Criminals are attempting to exploit the coronavirus stimulus package recently passed by the government to steal your information or gain access to your accounts. Please be aware that government agencies are not sending official stimulus/relief information via text/SMS or email.

Beware of social media posts, emails, phone calls, and/or text messages offering money or claiming you need to respond to claim your government stimulus check. Criminals may impersonate government agencies using spoofed email addresses, caller ID, or lookalike email domains in order to lend an air of legitimacy for their communications.

If you are seeking information about the stimulus/relief program, you should contact the appropriate government agency via its website for guidance and follow the protocol published by that agency's website.

If you believe you have provided your account or personal identifying information in response to this type of scam, you should immediately contact your local branch or call customer service at 1-800-670-3110.

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FRAUDULENT ROBOCALLS

Customers are reporting calls with pre-recorded messages stating their account will be charged a fee. These calls may be attempts by bad actors to collect your account numbers and personal information for the purpose of fraud.

As a reminder, it is important keep your sensitive information private, even at home. If these robocalls should impersonate a company with which you do business, you should contact that company using information you know is good, such as contact numbers from your statements, cards, or the company's website.

If you provided your sensitive information in response to a call you suspect is fraudulent, you should immediately contact your local branch or call customer service at 1-800-670-3110 immediately.

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'SPOOFED' Emails from Trustco Bank

Customers and non-customers are receiving emails which claim they are the beneficiary of money deposited at Trustco Bank. These emails are not from Trustco Bank and the sending email address is not associated with Trustco Bank. Do not respond to these emails.

The senders appear to be attempting to convince consumers to send funds to release the money or to steal information which would allow them to steal your identity. Trustco Bank reminds you that it is unsafe to send personal information or banking information via email.

If you receive a suspicious email which appears to be from Trustco Bank, do not respond to the email. Please report the email to your local branch or customer service at 1-800-670-3110 immediately.

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