Category: Scams

  Grandma Barb’s phone rings. It’s her grandson, Billy. She can tell something is wrong immediately. He’s crying. Panicked. “Grandma… I’m in trouble.” Her heart drops. He tells her he’s been in an accident. He was arrested. He needs help—fast. There’s a man on the line now. Calm. Professional. He says he’s a lawyer. Billy...

Mary has been lonely since her husband passed away. After some hesitation, she decided to try online dating. Friends encouraged her. It felt like a step forward. At first, it was awkward. Then she met someone. He was kind. Patient. A good listener. He asked about her life, her family, her memories. He remembered details....

Sarah’s phone lights up. It’s her bank. At least, that’s what it says. The caller ID matches exactly. Same name. Same number she’s seen before. She answers. “Hi Sarah, this is the fraud department. We’ve detected suspicious activity on your account.” Her stomach drops. The caller sounds professional. Calm. Reassuring. They list a transaction she...

The Billion-Dollar Scam Targeting Your Business John runs a construction business. Like many companies, his team occasionally wires money to suppliers—materials, equipment, subcontractors. It’s routine. One morning, John’s office manager, Mary, receives an email. It’s from a supplier they’ve worked with before. Same name. Same email thread. Same conversation history. The message is simple: “Hi...

It starts with a simple text: “Hey, are we still on for lunch?” You reply: “Sorry, wrong number.” But instead of ending there, the conversation continues. What seems like a harmless mistake is often the beginning of a highly sophisticated financial scam targeting bank customers across the U.S. What Is the “Wrong Number” Scam? The...

With the rise of scams and fraudulent activity reported across the nation, South Dakota’s banks and their customers have become the latest target. Disturbingly, several community banks have reported that their customers and even non-customers have received text messages from supposed “banks” or lenders. This alarming development highlights the need to be extra cautious and...

Social engineering attacks are on the rise. A new twist on an old attack is an advanced social engineering attack, targeting customers that are connected to their financial institution via social media. Attackers leverage social media to gather reconnaissance information on a customer, then contact the customer while posing as the financial institution.The attacker’s objective...

Can You Spot a Phishing Scam?Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. And in this time of expanded use of online banking, the problem is only growing worse. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission’s report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost...

Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. And in this time of expanded use of online banking, the problem is only growing worse. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission’s report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost a staggering $1.9 billion to...