Unfortunately, fraudsters are finding ways to take advantage of fears related to the coronavirus. Crest Savings Bank and the American Bankers Association offer the following to help protect yourself:
- Stimulus check or economic relief scams. Should you be eligible for the government’s stimulus check, the money will be sent via check or direct deposit. The government will NOT ask for a fee to receive the funds, nor will they ask for your personal or account information.
- Watch out for phishing scams. These use fraudulent emails, texts, phone calls and websites to trick users into disclosing private account or login information. Do not click on links or open any attachments or pop-up screens from sources you are not familiar with, and NEVER give your password, account number or PIN to anyone.
- Do some research before making donations. Be wary of any business, charity or individual requesting COVID-19-related payments or donations in cash, by wire transfer, gift card or through the mail.
- Rely on official sources for up-to-date information on COVID-19. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and your state’s health department websites to keep track of the latest developments.
- Ignore offers for a COVID-19 vaccine, cure or treatment. If there is a medical breakthrough, it wouldn’t be reported through unsolicited emails or online ads.
- Remember the safest place for your money is in the bank—it’s physically secure, and it’s federally insured. When you deposit your money at a bank, you get the comfort of knowing that your funds are secure and insured by the government. You don’t have the same level of protection when your money is outside the banking system.
- Change your security settings to enable multi-factor authentication for accounts that support it. Multi-factor authentication—or MFA—is a second step to verify who you are, like a text with a code.
Help others by reporting coronavirus scams. Visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, at www.ic3.gov, to report suspected or confirmed scams. You can also stay up-to-date on scams by visiting the FTC’s coronavirus page, at ftc.gov/coronavirus.
Crest Savings Bank has locations in Wildwood, North Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Cape May, Cape May, Sea Isle City, and Villas. Call (609) 522-5091, or visit www.crestsavings.bank for more information.
