As society evolves, scammers evolve. Scammers are once again changing their tactics to gain access to your personal sensitive information by using FaceTime. This new approach might involve unexpected activity between your bank accounts or start with an email or text message. Then, you could receive calls that seem a little out of the ordinary.
Scammers have primarily used fake or spoofed phone numbers and emails, such as ‘frauddepartmentagentcenter@gmail.com’, to make contact. However, they are now trying less traditional ways to get in touch, video calls.
What does it look like?
- Starting with a text or email, they impersonate your bank or another financial institution, a Government Agency, or even tech support like Microsoft, Apple, or Google.
- They claim they need your approval for a wire, that your taxes are past due, or maybe that your device has a virus that they need to help you triage.
- Once you engage, they offer their assistance through a video chat using an app like FaceTime or Zoom, which helps avoid being blocked or traced.
- They may request that you screen-share or that they need to see you log in.
Be scam-resistant by remembering:
- Arvest won't use public email services (such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) to contact you about urgent fraud issues.
- Arvest won't contact you about a potential fraud case on your consumer account via video calls or request that you share your screen.
- Strange or unauthorized money movement between your own accounts can often be used to make larger transfers appear less suspicious later. Monitor your account routinely.
- Always look closely at the sender's email address. Our official communications will only come from our bank's specific domains (@arvest.com and @wacotitle.com), never from a generic, free email service like Gmail.
- If someone claiming to be from our fraud department contacts you via FaceTime, WhatsApp, or from what appears to be a personal email address, hang up or ignore the message.
I think I've been scammed. Now what?
- Review: Log in to your official online banking or mobile app immediately to review the transactions.
- Report: If you notice anything out of the ordinary in your accounts or if you’ve encountered a situation like one of the above scenarios, act immediately.
- Call Us Directly: If you see unauthorized transfers or suspect fraud, do not call any number or reply to any email address supplied by the suspected scammer. Instead, call the official number listed on our official website immediately.
- Report Scam to IC3: To help federal agencies track and investigate fraud patterns, which may increase your chances of recovering lost funds and prevent others from falling victim to the same scam, submit a report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint (IC3) at ic3.gov.
- File a police report with your local police department.
- Document: If possible, keep a record of the interaction with the scammer, whether by recording it, taking screenshots or writing down the details. This documentation may assist law enforcement in their investigation should you decide to report the incident.
- Secure: Changing credentials and accounts can help ensure the safety of your funds and information.
- Change your password: Create a new, strong password. If you use the same password elsewhere, change it there as well.
- Freeze your credit: This can prevent new accounts from being opened in your name. Contact the three major credit bureaus to place a freeze on your credit.
- Protect your device: Update your computer’s security software, run a scan and delete files identified as a problem.
We're here to help keep you secure. By staying alert and adhering to secure communication channels, you can help us combat these evolving threats. If you have any concerns, please contact us at (866) 952-9523.
