Northfield gets hit with a vishing scam

3 Comments

  1. Rick Estenson said:

    Thanks for covering this story Griff. As we have learned more this morning about the attack — called “vishing” because of it’s use of the voice message system to approach clients rather than the email system that many recognize as phishing — the phone number you are asked to call is no longer valid but if anyone called the number, they would have been asked to submit their card number, expiration date and PIN (Personal Identification Number) and then be told their card was reactivated. If anyone did this, they need to call us at the bank right away (507-645-5656) to cancel the card and issue a new one. If you are reading this after our normal bank hours, you can call the following number and be connected with the SHAZAM card provider (1-800-383-8000). We hope people realize no personal information was given out by our bank or the card company and this is simply a scam with a broad net cast to non customers of First National Bank as well.
    While it is tempting to experience or hear stories like this and look for a cave to hide in and not provide anyone any personal information for fear of what can happen, that is just not practical for most people. the real lesson seems to me to simply be careful with your information and make sure you know the people you are dealing with whenever possible. Another reason i like living in a smaller community like Northfield.

    July 30, 2008
  2. John Thomas said:

    That is the #1 reason I bank with a small town bank…

    If I got a call like this, the first call would be to my bank. They know who I am, and if they cannot solve the problem, they work until they find the answer.

    Its called small town customer service, and it is still what makes Northfield great.

    Travis, if your reading this, make sure you remind your staff how great they are! 😎

    July 30, 2008
  3. Christine Bernier said:

    I received this message … The message I received said that my First National Bank card was suspended and I needed to call a phone number starting with a “562-” area code.

    Because it was after hours and I didn’t recognize the area code, I entered the return phone number in a Google search on the internet. When I did that, I found complaints about the scam.

    It was then that I deleted the message and did not return the call.

    July 31, 2008

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