NOTE: Bank of Labor will never reach out to you asking for personal information. If you receive any suspicious communication (text, phone, email, or social media), please do not click on any links and contact us immediately at 913.321.4242.
File These Tips to Spot &
Stop Tax Fraud.
The IRS estimates that Tax Fraud costs the US $1 trillion a year. Tax Fraud takes many forms, including:
ProPublica shares tips to help you avoid ‘friendly’ online chats that are crafted to lure unsuspecting consumers into fraudulent online investment get-rich-schemes.
It’s a scam technique known as ‘Pig Butchering’, in reference to fattening livestock before slaughter:
Black Friday and Cyber Monday can offer
shoppers a deal, but thieves use the opportunity
to steal information.
The Better Business Bureau® warns of fake survey
scams popping up around holiday shopping:
Think of ransomware as digital ‘kidnapping’ of device files. Criminals install malware that makes your information unusable until you pay a ransom for them to decrypt your data. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) provides a list of steps you can take now to help keep your information from being ‘snatched’ by cyber thieves.
Bank of Labor wants to inform you of two scams (known as “smishing” and “vishing”) that are on the rise.
Smishing involves fraudsters sending text messages containing a link that look as though they have been sent by the bank. Once the link is selected, fraudsters call pretending to be from the bank (this is known as “vishing”) and ask for online banking credentials (login ID/Password) and the One Time Passcode sent to your phone.
Bank of Labor will never ask you to provide this information through a text, email, or phone call. Be extremely cautious when responding to text messages, emails and phone calls that ask for personal information and/or banking credentials/account numbers.
Banks go to great lengths to ensure the security of customer accounts but there are measures customers themselves can also take to further reduce risk of any account fraud. Here are 5 tips from AARP® to help improve your account security: How to Prevent Bank Fraud and Secure Your Bank Account (aarp.org)
Brush up on School Safety Tips.
SchoolSafety.gov is a government program created to provide guidance and resources to help keep school communities safe. The website includes information on how schools and families can prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a range of school safety threats, hazards, and emergency situations.
Financial predators often zero-in on older adults. But Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s free “Money Smart for Older Adults” can help older adults, family caregivers and others outsmart and fight back against financial exploitation.
The federal agency CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency) offers tips to help rescue you from email scams plus seven steps you can follow to zap other villainous email fraud attempts you may encounter down the road.
In the past year, there’s been a 7% increase in internet crime with close to 6.9 billion in reported losses, according to the FBI’s recently released 2021 Internet Crime Report
The top three cyber crimes reported by victims in 2021 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and personal data breach. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, investment fraud, and romance and confidence schemes.
To report an online crime or view IC3’s annual reports and public service announcements, visitic3.gov.
Need to reach us? Please contact us at the number below and our team will gladly assist you. If you would like to open an account or speak to a personal banker visit us at any of our locations located in the Greater Kansas City Metro Area.