Security

Fraud and scam warnings

Scammers are operating across the globe and in an attempt to get you to reveal your personal information, they may contact you via phone, email or text message.

Keep in mind, while Teachers Mutual Bank may contact you from time to time, we will never ask you to provide your PIN or passcodes associated with your online banking.

Please report suspicious emails, text messages and phone calls immediately to Teachers Mutual Bank by contacting us here.

Recent scams reported to Teachers Mutual Bank:

Types of scams

• Romance scams
• Remote access scams
• Hoax emails
• Virus or Trojan emails

Romance scams:

One of the most common scams reported to Teachers Mutual Bank are Romance scams. These days, it’s very common to meet a new friend online, on online dating websites and social media platforms like Facebook. However, it’s important to be cautious of people who are especially interested in getting money out of you.

Be wary if:

• After only a short time, they claim to have developed strong feelings for you and wish to meet/talk outside the legitimate dating or chat site.
• Their online profile is not consistent with what they tell you.
• They tell elaborate stories to gain your trust and sympathy.
• They may not ask for money immediately, but tell you about their problems, often relating to topics that tug at your heartstrings (for example, about children, elderly relatives and pets).
• If you don’t send money when asked, they become impatient and persistent.
• You suggest a Skype meeting, but their camera is never working.

Be careful when sharing information about yourself, including photos, videos, and details of friends and family.

Remote access scams:

Another type of scam that has been reported to Teachers Mutual Bank is remote access scams. How this works is fraudsters will call you pretending to work for a well-known telecommunications company. They may claim there is a virus on your computer and they need your assistance to catch the hackers by gaining remote access to your computer.

No matter how professional the caller may sound, never allow them to have access to your computer or give out your personal details over the phone. Instead hang up immediately and contact your Telco directly to report the incident.

Hoax emails

Fraudsters may also try to contact you via email. One of the common types of hoax emails is phishing scams. The email will allege it is from an organisation, requesting confirmation of personal details such as account numbers, credit card details, Internet Banking logins, PINS, passwords, mobile numbers or access codes.

Details entered into a fraudulent website can then be used on the real website to commit fraud. These hoax emails often look genuine, with the same logo and branding as the actual organisation. It’s important to keep in mind, Teachers Mutual Bank will never ask you to provide your confidential banking information via email. If you receive any suspicious emails, please refer these to Teachers Mutual Bank immediately.

Virus or Trojan emails

Scam emails don’t always try to get you to directly reveal your personal details. Instead they may send links and attachments that upon clicking may infect your computer by installing malicious software (Malware).

If you open the attachment or click on the link in the email, the malware will try to install itself automatically on your computer, depending on the security software on your computer. The malicious software is designed to capture any information that you enter into online services such as internet banking, and send it back to a criminal who can use it for fraud.

There are many email scams designed to compromise online user credentials or personal information, in order to illegally obtain funds. These unsolicited emails are sent in high volumes to random email addresses in the hope that they will find banking customers.

What to do if you suspect a scam:

If you receive a suspicious phone call hang up immediately and contact the company directly to report the incident. For unsolicited emails, do not click on any links, open attachments or enter any personal information as they may expose your computer to viruses, worms, trojans, rootkits or spyware.

Teachers Mutual Bank does not send emails requesting you to confirm or disclose your internet banking login information.

To report suspected fraud or scams, contact us here.