Scammers make calls look like they’re from banks, police warn

It may look like a call from your bank, but it could result in your account being drained by some crook.

Upper Macungie Township police Lt. Peter Nickischer said Monday he posted an alert about scams last week after a colleague told him about a telephone spoof involving BB&T.

“When he looked at his phone and saw that the number was the same phone number on the back of his debit card, that kind of took me aback,” said Nickischer, who is crime and community services division commander.

The scam works like this, according to Nickischer:

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a BB&T employee advising you that someone is attempting to access your account. This phone call could be from a spoofed number that matches the customer service number on the back of your BB&T debit/credit card. In addition, the caller may even list some of your personal information, like your date of birth or address. He may ask for your account PIN number.

The scammer then sends a text message with a personal identification number in code and asks you to repeat it back to him. During this process, the scammer accesses your account and drains funds.

The scam is known as “spoofing,” in which fraudsters give the impression that their phone calls originate from BB&T. Other institutions might also be targeted: Nickischer said township police received another case involving a resident and a local credit union he declined to name.

If you think you have been spoofed, notify your local police and bank, Nickischer said. Additionally, Nickischer said, BB&T advises consumers to:

• Beware of suspicious calls, texts or emails requesting personal or sensitive account information.

• Keep all passwords, PINs and one-time passcodes secret.

• Report suspicious calls, texts or emails claiming to be BB&T to 800-BANK-BBT (800-2265228) or InternetFraud@bbandt.com.

“My opinion, these people prey on the fact that normal people are very busy, consistently multitasking,” said Nickischer, who encouraged consumers to question something that appears odd.