By Waupaca County Sheriff’s Department
We have become aware of a recent fraud in the area where fraudsters are calling victims pretending to be from the victim’s financial institution. Fraudsters are able to have the victim’s caller id show the same number as the victims bank. During the conversation, the fraudsters are notifying the victim that their bank account was compromised and they need to give them the code that was emailed to them from their bank. Once the code has been given to the fraudster, they then access the victim’s bank account transferring out the available funds to another account the fraudster has access to.
Tips to protect yourself
1. Do not take immediate action. If you receive a communication that causes a strong emotional response, take a deep breath. Hang up or ignore the message. Talk to someone you trust.
2. Do not transfer your money! Do not buy that gift card! Never pay someone who insists that you pay with a gift card, prepaid debit card, Internet currency or cryptocurrency, wire transfer, money transfer, or by mailing cash. Scammers use these forms of payment because they are hard to trace.
3. Be skeptical. If you think your bank is trying to reach you, call your branch to verify. Do not believe scammers who “transfer” your call to an official or who feed you a number as proof. Scammers can create fake numbers and identities. Do not trust your caller ID.
4. Be cautious of any contact claiming to be from your bank, telling you about a problem you don’t recognize. Do not provide your personal information, even if the caller has some of your information.
5. Do not click on links or attachments. Block unwanted calls and text messages.
For more information on frauds, visit the Federal Trade Commission at