Fraud Alerts

Criminals do not take vacations! Check here for news about other people trying to get their hands on YOUR money. Updates on new and recurring scams can help protect you from fraud. The more you know, the safer your money remains.

Remember! GSB will never request account information via an email or ask you to click on a link to verify such personal account data.

Seniors...be aware of calls from youths claiming to be a family member in immediate need of cash / check sent to Canada. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of the following GSB officers: David Kreiman
(847-832-0344); Pat Grimes (847-832-0850) or Pamela Aho (847-832-0153).

Alerts:

 

• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of suspicious telephone calls where the caller claims to represent the FDIC and is calling regarding the collection of an outstanding debt. These suspicious telephone calls are fraudulent. If a caller demonstrates that he or she has the recipient's personal information, such as Social Security number, birth date, and bank account numbers, the recipient may be the victim of identity theft and should review his or her credit reports for signs of possible fraud. The individual should also consider placing a "fraud alert" on his or her credit reports.

 

• Fraudulent Debit Card Phone Calls
  There are reports of recent calls from various out of state and toll free phone numbers indicating your debit card has been deactivated are not valid. Disregard those calls. If you provided your account number please call 847-724-1900 and choose the option for lost or stolen debit card.
  For your information, in a phishing scam, the scammers know nothing about your card or account or your bank association. They target communities all over the country, use sophisticated technology to dial phone numbers in a community assuming a large percentage of residents bank at their local bank and have debit cards, and hijack phone numbers from different areas of the country to make it appear that the call is coming from other areas on your caller ID. Ignore these calls.
• Debit Card text message
  Be on the lookout for a text message saying your debit card has been de-activated and advising you to call a number which then asks for the entire card number. Remember, GSB does not contact customers that way. When in doubt, call 847-729-1900 to verify any communications claiming to be from the bank.
  
  
• New Medicare Scam
  Phone calls purporting to be from Medicare to elderly people advising them that the new Health Care Bill requires a change and they need to provide their bank routing number and account number. Caller ID will actually show the correct toll-free number for the Medicare office, but they are using sophisticated phone trickery to have that appear. If you call the number, Medicare has a message warning of the scam. Take a moment to advise any elderly friends and relatives of this new scam and also remind them that no legitimate firm will ever call or email you to ask you for sensitive financial information, including account numbers, and especially social security numbers.
• Census Scam
  Crooks like to be up to date! With the upcoming 2010 census, a new twist has them pretending to be associated with the Census Bureau to obtain your personal information. You will only be contacted personally by a Census worker if you do not mail in the 10-question survey mailed to your home. Only in a rare instance would the Census bureau call to clarify information, but never by email. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.  There are no questions on the survey regarding Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Authentic census workers will have badges and proper identification.
  
  
• Facebook
  Don' be fooled by a plea from a "friend" on Facebook claiming to be in an emergency situation in a foreign country. They of course would like you to send them money via Western Union to save them from whatever made-up situation they describe. Avoid being duped by international fraudsters by asking your friend to call you in order to wire the money. Unless your friend is in the middle of a jungle in the Congo, they should be able to call you.
  
  
• Mystery Shopper Fraud
  Interested in the easy money promised by a Mystery Shopping ad? Think twice if they mail you a check to use as seed money, and ask that you return an amount not used. They may also have you deposit the "check" into your own account and wire funds. More than likely, that "check" is counterfeit and you're responsible for the amount if you cashed or deposited it.
  
  
• H1N1 Email Scam
  (First reported 12/2/09)
  Delete a fake e-mail purporting to be from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) which directs the recipient to register for a "personal vaccination profile" so that the government can keep track of people who have received the H1N1 flu vaccine. The link goes to a "look-alike" CDC site which asks for information that pertains to your bank accounts.
  
  
• Fraudulent ACH Transaction Emails
  (First reported 11/12/09)
  The Electronic Payments Association has received reports that individuals and/or companies have received a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of having been sent from NACHA (The Electronic Payments Association). The subject line of the e-mail states: “Rejected ACH Transaction.” The e-mail includes a link which redirects the individual to a fake web page which appears like the NACHA Web site and contains a link which is almost certainly executable virus with malware. Do not click on the link. Both the e-mail and the related Web site are fraudulent.
  
  
• Check Receipts for Unauthorized "Cash Back" Debits
  Always check the receipt from a debit card transaction BEFORE leaving the store, etc. It seems some unscrupulous clerks are adding "cash back" transactions on customer bills and pocketing the cash themselves. They can be successful if the customer is rushed and does not confirm the actual dollar amount. If this occurs, demand it be corrected on the spot.
  
  
• Scam Text Messages
  Be aware of "scam" text messages which include a request for confidential information such as account and debit card information. Always contact your bank or credit card company directly for verification before responding with any private information.
  
  
• It's NOT from the FDIC
  A phishing email including the official FDIC logo has been circulating claiming that our bank has failed and instructs recipients to click on a link to a phony FDIC site. This is a SCAM. Do not click on that link. Glenview State Bank is not experiencing any difficulty.
  
  
• Fraudulent FBI Email
  An e-mail message claiming to contain a confidential FBI report titled “New Patterns in Al-Qaeda Financing” has been circulating since August 15, 2009. The e-mail has the subject line “Intelligence Bulletin No. 267,” and contains an attachment titled “bulletin.exe.” This message, or similar messages, may contain files that are harmful to the recipient’s system and may try to steal user credentials. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS E-MAIL OR SIMILAR E-MAILS, IT IS A HOAX. The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails or email official reports. Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or other malicious software.
  
  
• PIN means PERSONAL
  There are recent reports of "Visa" or MasterCard" calling cardholders to report suspicious activity on the account. They have your account number and address and just need the 3-digit PIN on the back of the card. Wait a minute! If it's really your card company calling, they have that info. Do not provide that number to any call that you have not initiated...such as for a purchase. When in doubt, call your card company using the number on the card, NOT a number that the caller provides.
  
  
• "Fraudsters" take advantage of social networking
  The over increasing popularity of online social sites appeals to crooks also.They continue to hijack accounts on social networking sites and spread malicious software by using various techniques. One technique involves the use of spam to promote phishing sites, claiming there has been a violation of the terms of agreement or some other type of issue which needs to be resolved. Other spam entices users to download an application or view a video. Some spam appears to be sent from users' "friends", giving the perception of being legitimate. Once the user responds to the phishing site, downloads the application, or clicks on the video link, their computer, telephone or other digital device becomes infected. Another technique used by fraudsters involves applications advertised on social networking sites, which appear legitimate; however, some of these applications install malicious code or rogue anti-virus software. Other malicious software gives the fraudsters access to your profile and personal information. These programs will automatically send messages to your "friends" list, instructing them to download the new application too.Infected users are often unknowingly spreading additional malware by having infected Web sites posted on their Web page without their knowledge. Friends are then more apt to click on these sites since they appear to be endorsed by their contacts.
  
  
• The "phishing" season never ends
  As much as we like to hear from you, the bank will never initiate a "chat" session via LOLA to obtain your account information. A recent scam has been reported where a person pretending to be from your bank will attempt to "chat" their way into more confidential information even after they've convinced you to supply your name & account number. Don't be fooled by look-alike web pages. Whenever in doubt, contact one of the names above.
  
  
• Who Needs a Deed?
  Homeowners DO NOT need to pay an excessive amount to an independent company to obtain a copy of the deed to their property. This information is available from your county's Recorder of Deeds for a nominal fee.
  
  
• Magazine Sales
  They're so polite and sound so sincere ....the young boy or girl who rings your doorbell is just trying to sell magazine subscriptions to help their school, team, church or whatever. At least that's their story. In many cases however, they've been sent out by unscrupulous companies who just want your cash. If you want to buy magazines from a salesperson who rings your bell, make sure it's a legitimate organization. If in doubt, just say "no thanks."
  
  
  
• Pigeon Drop
  An unattractive name for a cruel scam that is much older than the victims it targets. If you are approached by anyone willing to share something of value they just "found"...walk away and immediately report the incident to the police. DO NOT GIVE THEM MONEY OR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION.!
  
  
• Jury Duty Scam
  It's back again! Phone caller advises that a warrant has been issued for your arrest for failing to appear for jury duty. When a person claims they never received the summons, caller requests social security number to "verify information on their list".
  Don't be intimidated by this scam.
  
  
• Call Forwarding
  In this phishing scheme the victim receives an email from the phisher telling them that their bank needs to verify their phone number immediately. If they do not confirm their phone number their account will be suspended. By following the phisher's instructions, the bank customer is actually forwarding any subsequent phone calls to the phisher's number. The calls will continue to be forwarded until the victim notices they are not getting any calls. When customer tries to verify the soon-to-follow fraudulent withdrawals from their account, the call goes directly to the phisher. NEVER provide your financial or personal information to an unknown source via email or the phone.
  
  
• Credit Card "Swapping"
  Make sure the credit card you get back from a clerk or server is really yours. Phony and invalid cards with someone else's name have been substituted.

Links may be in PDF format and open in a new window. If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download it here.