Fraud

We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure your money, your identity and your accounts are safe and secure, but we also need your help.

If you suspect fraud on any of your AmeriServ accounts, contact us toll-free at 1-800-837-2265.

Timely Tips Best Practices

#BanksNeverAskThat.

Learn the red flags of five major scams.


Email Scams

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Slow it down. Does that look like an email address your bank would use? Be wary of unexpected emails from addresses that aren’t like the ones your bank typically employs.

Spot check! If you see misspelled words or odd grammar, they are all clear signs of an impersonator. Real banks use spell check.

Don’t panic. If an email uses scare tactics, such as urgent warnings of account closure or security breaches, you can safely assume it’s a scam.

Hold up — banks will never ask you to log in via email. Phishing emails use deceptive URLs to take you to malicious websites. Never click links that you weren’t expecting.

Something’s phishy, because real banks will never send an email attachment — especially when you didn’t ask for it. Attachments can contain malware that can compromise your computer or personal information. Never click on attachments from emails supposedly from your bank.

Text Scams

Text Scam

Slow it down. Is that the number your bank usually uses to send text messages? Legit text message updates come from an official 4-5 digit number used by your bank.

Take a breath. Phishing texts try to create a sense of panic, such as threatening to suspend your account or urging you to log in to verify. Real bank texts won’t.

Spot check! If you see misspelled words or odd grammar they are all clear signs of an impersonator. Real banks use spell check.

If a text message requests personal or sensitive information, such as account numbers, PINs, passwords, or social security numbers, you can assume it’s a scam.

Banks rarely — if ever — send links via text. Don’t click them. Instead, verify the message by visiting your bank’s official website, or calling the number on the back of your card.

Phone Scams

Phone Scam

While caller ID can be spoofed, legitimate calls from your bank are more likely to display an official phone number or a known identifier. If not, be very skeptical.

Phishing calls rely on a sense of urgency. If the caller pressures you into immediate action or threatens negative consequences, just hang up and call the number on the back of your bank card.

Banks will rarely ask for your account number, PIN, or password during a phone call — and will never ask for a one-time login code. Never share such confidential details unless you’ve called the number on the back of your bank card.

Be very skeptical of calls you receive out of the blue. Normally, bank representatives will only reach out if you initiate contact first. Stay safe by ending the call and dialing the number on the back of your bank card.

AI & Deepfake Scams

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Criminals are using deepfakes, which are AI-altered images, videos or audio. Deepfakes can impersonate people you know or recognize, like family, public figures or government officials. If anyone unexpectedly asks you for money, passwords, personal information or secrecy, even if you “recognize” them — that's a red flag of a deepfake scam. Stay calm, hang up and call the person directly.

If someone tells you not to hang up, involves fear, urgency or pressure, it’s a major red flag. Hang up and call the person back directly to verify their identity.

If someone you know is acting out of character, especially over text, phone or video, it might not really be them. Create codewords or phrases with loved ones that you can use in these moments of uncertainty to confirm their identity.

Payment App Scams

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Be cautious if you receive unexpected requests from strangers or organizations asking you to send money through a payment app. This is a scammer move.

If someone who claims to be your bank says you have to send money to yourself, you can be 100% certain it’s a scam. Banks never ask that.

Be skeptical if a sender claims to have accidentally overpaid you through Zelle and requests a refund of the excess amount. Scammers use this tactic to trick you into sending them money.

If you receive a payment app-related message that contains a link, never click it. Scammers often send links to fake login pages to steal your username and password.

Scammers attempt to trick you by creating a sense of urgency. If they mention unforeseen emergencies, unverified transactions, account suspension, or unsolicited prize winnings, it’s a scam.

Best Practices

Maintain strong passwords.

Strong passwords make it extremely difficult to break into your accounts. Here are some tips to help:

  • Avoid using words that are easily guessed, such as your child's name or your favorite sports team.
  • Use the greatest combination of capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols that a site will allow.
  • Password managers are a great way to not only create strong, unique passwords - but they also store them securely so you don't need to remember them.

Check the site.

If you are banking or shopping online, check that the site you are using is security-enabled. Look for sites that start with "https://", which means that the site is taking extra precautions to help secure your information.

Connect carefully.

If you're at home, make sure your Wi-Fi network is password-protected so that outsiders cannot log onto your network and gather information. If you're in a public place that offers Wi-Fi access, be cautious of what you send over their network. Try to refrain from banking or other sensitive activities until you're in a more secure location.

Keep it current.

New computer viruses (and new versions of old ones) are being released all the time. So making sure you have the latest security software, web browser, and operating system updates are your best defenses against these threats. Often, you can set those updates to be automatically installed as soon as they become available.