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Sadly fraud and scams continue to be prevalent. It’s important for you and your loved ones to stay vigilant in the fight to keep your information private and not become a victim of these scams.
Contact The Neffs National Bank at 610-767-3875 if you suspect any “at risk” situations.
Beware of RED flags
1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
2. You CAN NOT win without buying a ticket.
3. You NEVER have to send cash to redeem a prize.
4. If a caller says don’t tell anyone! It is probably a scam.
5. If you are told you MUST act immediately! Don’t!! Scammers will try to frighten you with threats.
Tips to Safeguard Your Accounts
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Pay attention to billing and statement cycles. Check statements to ensure all charges were authorized.
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Never give your social security information and/or your account information over the phone, or on the internet, unless you’re 100% sure who you are dealing with.
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Shred documents with personal information and offers from credit cards to prevent dumpster divers from obtaining information.
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Check your credit report annually for errors. (You have the right to a free credit report every 12 months.)
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The IRS will never call you to demand money.
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Never give anyone remote access to your computer, as you should hire a local repair service whenever possible.
Current Scams-
Beware of Washed Check Fraud
The Neffs National Bank recently has seen a significant rise in washed check fraud. Check washing is a type of fraud where a criminal steals mail containing check payments for credit cards, utilities, etc. and uses common household chemicals to erase pen ink to alter the details of the checks. In some cases, only the payee is changed and the check processes for the correct amount. In situations like this the customer may overlook this as legitimate because the amount made sense. In a month or two when a late payment notice is received, the customer then discovers the check was altered and never received by the original payee. In other cases, the mail snatcher erases the whole check with the exception of the customer’s signature, including the amount. These are generally easier to detect by the customer, as they can be altered to a much larger amount.
To reduce your risk of being a victim to washed check fraud, we suggest taking these precautions:
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Do not put your outgoing payments in a residential mailbox. The red flag for your mail carrier is also an invitation to a mail thief. Either hand your outgoing mail directly to your carrier, drop it in a blue collection box outside the Post Office immediately before the last pickup time or take it directly into the Post Office.
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Retrieve your mail frequently. Never leave mail in your mailbox overnight.
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Check your bank statements immediately upon receiving them. If you fail to report fraud within 60 days of receiving your statement, the bank is under no obligation to reimburse any loss.
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Be diligent and look at each check. As noted above, in some check washing cases, the amounts are not changed and only the payee has been changed.
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If you are going on vacation, request mail to be held at the Post Office until your return, or have a friend or neighbor collect your mail daily.
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Consider using online or mobile banking which will enable you to review your account history sooner than waiting for your paper statement. Bill pay services can also be set up so that you no longer need to write or mail personal checks.
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One simple way to prevent washed check fraud is to write all checks with black ink gel pens. Gel ink contains pigments that permeate the fibers of the check which makes it resistant to acetone or other chemicals.
Phone/Text Scam
It has been brought to our attention that there is currently a scam involving someone posing as an employee of The Neffs National Bank. They are able to spoof the bank's actual phone number. Please remember The Neffs National Bank would never call, text or email a customer and ask for account numbers, login info, debit card numbers, etc. When a call is initiated by a customer to The Neffs National Bank we will ask certain questions only to identify the account holder that we are speaking to.
Movie Prop Funny Money
Movie money or fake prop money has been handed out locally to pay for goods & services. These fake bills look so realistic they are easily confused. Some bills have the text notation on them of "Movie Prop Use Only" however many counterfeit passers will redirect your attention as they are paying so you do not take notice of the slight difference.
Most Common Scams
Lottery Scam
You may get a letter stating you have won the lottery! The letter includes a cashier’s check to cover processing, transfer taxes and fees. You deposit the cashier’s check and are instructed to send a money order or wire funds to a third party. Sometimes this scam occurs with a phone call. The check you send is legitimate and while the scammer gets your money, the check you received from the “lottery” is fake. You’ve lost your money.
CHILD/GRANDCHILD IS IN JAIL SCAM
Very often the call comes late in the evening or early in the morning. Before you have your wits about you, someone is saying your child/grandchild had an accident and is in jail. You must send money as soon as possible to pay fines before your child/grandchild can be released. You’re told not to tell anyone! Once funds are wired out they are GONE.
IRS SCAM
In this scam you receive communication from an individual stating they are from the Internal Revenue Service and you owe the government for back taxes. The IRS will never call and demand money. Since varying scenarios exist it's best to visit the IRS directly for current scams. Please CLICK HERE* for more info.
SCAM TARGETING VETERANS
Crooks using a phony telephone line pose as representatives of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Veterans Choice program. The legitimate program uses a 1-866 phone number, the scammers set up a phone line with the same number starting 1-800. When the veteran calls the bogus number the message reports he or she is entitled to a rebate if provided a debit or credit card number is given. An unauthorized charge is posted to the veterans card account, requiring the card to be cancelled.
MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAM
You might respond to an advertisement to earn extra money purchasing items or dining out. You receive an “official” looking packet with evaluation forms an even a cashier’s check. Sounds great, doesn’t it? You’re told to transfer the remaining funds to a third party via wire transfer. The scam is that the cashier’s check is fake. You would be liable for the fraudulent check.
REMOTE COMPUTER REPAIR SCAM
Victims are contacted by a phone call or even through your computer screen from scam artists claiming to be from a high-tech computer firm. They warn the victim that their computer has been infected by a virus that will damage the internal operating system. The alleged “representative” has you go online to allow him or her to troubleshoot the computer to “fix” all of the related issues. The goal of this scam is to force the computer owner to pay for unnecessary repairs over the phone using a credit card. Your credit card is then charged for unnecessary or even harmful services. Sometimes this results in the victim having to cancel his or her card to prevent future fraudulent charges. It can also result in the fraudster gaining access to the victim's online banking.
*Please be advised that you are leaving The Neffs National Bank website at www.neffsnatl.com to a link available from this web page, either via a menu item or direct link. We are not liable for the content, incorrectness, errors, omissions or opinions expressed on these websites. We are merely providing the Internet link to these sites for your convenience. Any questions or comments concerning these external sites should be directed to them directly.