Customers of MVB Bank in North Central West Virginia have been targeted in a new scam. The crooks are using your mobile phone to contact you and try and get personal information that could put your finances in jeopardy.
Aly Goodwin Gregg, Chief Marketing Officer for MVB, says don’t fall into the trap.
“Users are receiving a text message that is labeled an “MVB Alert,” explains Goodwin Gregg. “They text individuals that their card has been deactivated and they need to call a number to reactivate it.”
Goodwin Gregg says the bank would never text that type of information. That’s one red flag it’s a scam. It’s call “phishing,” an act of attempting to acquire information such as user names, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. The scammers are anything but trustworthy.
“These are illegal communications and they are in no way connected to the bank,” stresses Goodwin Gregg. “Anyone who receives the text, we want them to contact the proper authorities and report it.”
The bank has had some customers not realize the text is a scam and have contacted the phishers.
“Any customers who had called the number or thought that is was an actual MVB Alert, we have followed up with them and are handling that directly. But the impact has been minimal to us because we were so proactive upon becoming aware of it,” says Goodwin Gregg.
She stresses the bank’s information has not been compromised. If you have not answered the text, there is nothing to worry about. But the bank is urging customers to stay vigilant. If they receive any suspicious e-mails or texts, they need to contact the bank or local authorities before you hand out any personal information.