Security Alert: Telephone Fraud Scam


This information was provided to First Command Bank in a PULSE Fraud Bulletin on July 31, 2008.

Telephone Fraud Scam - Protect Your Debit Card Information

Consumers are advised to be on alert for a new telephone fraud scam involving debit cards. In this scam, automated calls are randomly placed to individuals residing within the area of a local bank. The automated message states that “your debit card from (actual bank´s name) was suspended due to suspicious fraud activity.” Contacts were asked to call a phone number, where they were prompted for card number, PIN and expiration date.


This is a scam! Consumers are urged not to give any personal information over the phone! These fraudsters are attempting to commit debit card fraud by obtaining the information necessary to post fraudulent charges to the victim´s debit card account.

This scheme has been reported for multiple financial institutions in multiple locations across the United States. The Secret Service has been contacted and is conducting an investigation.

Recommended Mitigation Strategy

First Command Bank advises consumers to never give out confidential or personal information when receiving unsolicited phone calls or e-mails. If First Command Bank suspects potential fraudulent activity on your debit card, our fraud prevention service will contact the cardholder at the number on file and ask you to confirm the questionable transaction. We will never ask you for your card number for verification. If the cardholder cannot be reached, the activity is considered high risk and a temporary block will be placed on the cardholder´s account. If our fraud prevention service must leave a message for the cardholder, they will ask the cardholder to call the toll free number 866-842-5208 which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you receive a telephone message about your debit card and you are unsure of its validity, please call First Command Bank directly at 888.763.7600 to confirm the legitimacy of the issue. Remember, we will never ask you for your card number for verification.

To protect against identity theft, consumers are warned to take the following precautions:

  • Always verify the legitimacy of the caller by asking for official company or agency contact information, and then using directory assistance to verify and cross-reference the information given.
  • Never solely rely on the phone number the caller provides as a means of verifying the authenticity of the call. Scam artists will often have an accomplice answer the phone to appear legitimate in the event of a return call.
  • For e-mails, never respond directly to or click on a link in the e-mail. Always close the e-mail and open a new Web browser window to go to the official company or agency Web site to verify the authenticity of the e-mail.
  • No matter how official the caller sounds or the e-mail appears, legitimate businesses or government agencies will not ask for sensitive, personal or financial information in their correspondence (this should always be a red flag).

For additional tips on identity theft prevention, visit:

How to Avoid Identity Theft