Phishing Scam visits Andrew Johnson Bank customers
Photo by: Saschapohflepp
Thousands of residents from Greene County and Knoxville were visited upon by a phishing scam hoping to rob Andrew Johnson Bank’s customers of their money. Beginning on Wednesday evening, residents of the area were swamped with an automated message, purportedly from Andrew Johnson Bank, telling them there was something wrong with their accounts. They were prompted to call a 515- number to regularize their accounts. (Listen to a version of the recorded message at the link below.)
Those calling at this number would be welcomed by another recorded message which would ask them to punch in confidential account information like account number, password and PIN.
This is what the fraudsters are after. Using account information so obtained, they are intending to electronically withdraw money from other people’s accounts.
The scam is now being investigated by the authorities. They suspect fraudsters of using a call-generating software to call up all numbers under the 423 area code.
Though the fraudsters may appear to be calling from Des Moines, Iowa, they are believed to be operating from outside the US. They supposedly leased a block of phone numbers from a telephone company in Iowa and used these to route their calls into the US.
The bank believes such scams are here to stay. In a statement, it said:
In the past, large banks have always been the target of these types of scams that try getting information from customers. This year, however, a number of smaller community banks have been the target of these overseas attacks. Andrew Johnson Bank or no bank has the ability to prevent this type of criminal activity.
With the help of authorities, the bank has been able to shut down the Iowa phone numbers. Customers who suspect their account security to have been compromised are urged to either contact the bank at 423-783-1000 or to make a report at the nearest branch.
Source: GreenevilleSun.com
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