Common Phone Scams on the Increase

Since the beginning of 2022, there has been a substantial increase in scams targeting unsuspecting victims through fake phone calls, text messages or emails. Scammers use different tactics to target their victims. In some cases, they can be friendly, sympathetic and seem willing to help. In others, they use fear tactics to scare and persuade a victim.

Scammers may pose as an employee of a credit card company, software provider, or even your bank and say there’s a problem that needs immediate attention. The scammers will pressure you to act immediately by giving them access to your computer, asking you to pay in an unusual way (gift cards, Zelle, Venmo, or bitcoin), or even providing access to your online banking accounts to resolve the issue.

Examples of Common Phone Scams

• Tech Support Scams - Tech support scams will use phone calls or website pop-ups to convince victims into believing their computers are infected with malware. Such scammers will often ask for remote access to your computer to run phony diagnostic tests and pretend to discover defects that need fixing.
• Antivirus\Software Renewal Scam - Scammers pretending to be from an antivirus subscription service tell the recipient that they will be charged a renewal subscription fee unless they call a number.
• Imposter scams - A scammer pretends to be someone you trust — the IRS, a family member, a love interest. The scammer can even have a fake name or number show up on your caller ID to convince you.
• Prize and lottery scams - In a typical prize scam, the caller will say you’ve won a prize, but then say you need to pay a registration or shipping fee to get it. After you pay, you find out there is no prize.

What to Do If You Already Spoke to a Scammer

If you gave a scammer remote access to your computer, consider having a local technology expert assist with scanning your computer for malware and updating your computer’s security software.

If you gave your username and password to a scammer, change your password right away. If you use the same password for other accounts or sites, change it there, too.

If you gave a scammer your Social Security number (SSN), visit identitytheft.gov to learn how to monitor your credit report to see if your SSN is being misused. Notify your financial institutions.

If you think you are the victim of fraud related to your account with Enterprise Bank, please contact the Bank’s Call Center at 978-459-9000 or toll-free at 877-671-2265. For additional information on how to protect your accounts, visit EnterpriseBanking.com/security.