Cooper State Bank sounds Phishing Scam Alert ------posted
Cooper State Bank is warning its customers to be wary of a phishing scam that’s aiming to get their valid credit and debit card numbers. The scam started sending SMS by the hundreds from 27th afternoon, mostly to central Ohio residents. The messages were sent to customers and non-customers of the bank alike.
The SMS attempted to rattle recipients by saying that their Cooper State Bank account is being deactivated for security reasons. It instructed them to call up a given phone number to get their accounts reactivated. The number bears the San Diego area code.
Perturbed customers calling up the number are welcomed by a recorded message. It asks them for personal information and their card numbers, presumably to initiate the process of reactivation of their accounts.
This is what the scammers are after. They intend to use information collected in this manner to steal from the compromised accounts.
The bank went out of its way to clarify that it had nothing to do with the scam. There was no breach in the network security at the bank’s end, it asserted. It is worried, however, for customers of its three Central Ohio branches.