Spotlight: Romance Scam
Love is in the air! Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not, always be on the lookout for possible romance scams. Criminals looking to prey on the vulnerable may create fake profiles on dating apps and social media platforms to establish a relationship with their victims. After gaining their trust they claim to have a sudden emergency and need money right away. Victims are then manipulated into sending money through checks, wires, gift cards, third party payments or cryptocurrency.
Here’s how to protect yourself from a romance scam:
- Never send money to a person you’ve only communicated with through a dating app, social media site or phone
- Do not give out personal information
- Be careful of what you post or share online
- Be cautious of excuses for not meeting in person
- Lookout for pages and profiles that seem too good to be true
Trending: IRS Scam
Tax season is upon us. During this time fraudsters often attempt to pose as IRS officials and auditors reaching out to potential victims through calls, texts, emails or social media. After claiming there are problems with your recent tax return they may request personal or financial information as well as access to your devices or online banking profiles. In some extreme cases they may threaten to have you arrested if you do not obey them.
The IRS will never contact taxpayers through social media or text messages. They will not attempt to solve filing or tax issues over the phone and will not threaten legal action. If you receive a letter and feel it might be a scam, check if it is legitimate through the IRS website.
Tips to protect yourself from an IRS scam:
- Do not share personal information
- Don’t click any link you were not expecting
- Look for misspelled words and web links
- Do not respond to threats
Trending: Bank Impersonation Scams
Some Village Bank customers have reported a trend of bank impersonation fraud where a scammer claiming to work for The Village Bank calls pretending to verify bogus charges. Once they have your attention, they request personal and financial information including Social Security number, account number, full or partial debit card number, expiration date, security code and personal identification number (PIN). This information can then be used to conduct fraudulent activity on your account.
The Village Bank will not request personal or financial information when verifying charges. If you receive a call claiming to be from The Village Bank and feel unsure, you can always hang up and call our Customer Care Center at 617-969-4300 to verify if the call was legitimate.
Some extra tips to keep yourself safe from bank impersonators:
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers
- Never give out your debit card number or PIN
- Never give out personal or financial information
- If you see unauthorized charges on your account, call The Village Bank immediately
If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, contact our Customer Care Center immediately at (617) 969-4300 and report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.