Consumer Alerts
Pioneer Federal Scam Alert!
A recent debit card scam is making its way around our community; it starts with a call from either an unknown or unfamiliar number, then a recording begins to inform you that your debit card has been compromised and in order to unlock the card it prompts you to verify the information by dialing the number one. After entering one it asks you to enter your card information, i.e.; card number, expiration date, and name. Please DO NOT enter any of your debit card information. We encourage you to hang up and notify the local law enforcement and your financial institution.
If your debit card was in fact compromised or under inspection, an employee from our financial institution would call you from one of our office numbers, 406-846-2202, 406-683-5191 or 1-800-452-6904.
Home Warranty Scam Alert!
It has been brought to our attention that there has been recent “Home Warranty” expiring notice in the mail claiming to be urgent and asking for immediate action or response, these items are a scam. Most of these mailings will state that it’s a “FINAL NOTICE” regarding your Home Warranty expiring and will name “Pioneer FSLA” or “Pioneer Fed’L S&L” as who secures your loan to try to make you think its a legitimate letter. The newest letter we’ve been getting notified about was a letter from “Home Warranty Direct” that has the top portion of the letter designed to look like a check to try to draw you in but states right under it that “Not all consumers have pervious coverage. We are not affiliated with your current mortgage holder. THIS IS NOT A CHECK.” We have also seen others saying they are from “Trinity Home Advisors (THA)”. If you receive anything in the mail similar to anything mentioned and you do not have a Home Warranty be sure not to give them ANY of your information or send them any money. Or if you are unsure if something is legitimate that you received regarding your mortgage do not hesitate to reach out to your local branch about it or stop by and have someone at the branch take a look at.
IRS Impersonation Scam!
An IRS impersonation scam has recently been identified; it can be wither a phone call or an email stating that a past tax return has an issue and you owe money. You will be threatened with tax fraud charges and that a warrant will be issued, and you will be arrested if the fines aren’t paid. You will then be instructed to pay your fines with prepaid debit cards, MoneyGram or a combination of the two.
Elder frauds
Thieves sometimes target older adults to try to cheat them out of some of their life savings. For example, telemarketing scams may involve sales of bogus products and services that will never be delivered. Warning signs include unsolicited phone calls asking for a large amount of money before receiving the goods or services, and special offers for senior citizens that seem too good to be true, like an investment “guaranteeing” a very high return. To help seniors and their caregivers avoid financial exploitation, the FDIC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have developed Money Smart for Older Adults, a curriculum with information and resources.
“Phishing” emails
Scam artists send emails pretending to be from banks, popular merchants or other known entities, and they ask for personal information such as bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other valuable details. The emails usually look legitimate because they include graphics copied from authentic websites and messages that appear valid.
“We have also seen emails with links to fake websites that are exact copies of real websites for FDIC-insured banks, except the web addresses are slightly different than the real ones,” said Doreen Eberley, director of the FDIC’s Division of Risk Management Supervision, which is in charge of the agency’s policies and programs related to financial crimes. “These sites are used to trick people into giving up valuable personal information that can be used to commit identity theft.”
Text Scams
FedEx is warning consumers not to fall for a new scam that tries to trick them into opening a text or an email about the status of a delivery.
Ransomware in Montana!
Click here to read about how Ransomware cripples Havre Public Schools computer system.
