Fraud Prevention

Imposter Scam

Scammers contact victims pretending to be from a bank, government agency, or charitable organization and trick you into sending money or providing personal information.

TIP:  Watch out for anyone asking for personal information to verify your account, or asking for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or person-to-person transfers.  Legitimate companies WILL NOT call to ask for your personal information or for payment.

Urgency Scam

Any type of scam that pressures victims into taking advantage of an unbelievable deal or collecting a prize, giving you a tight time frame to act.  Their tone may be urgent, and they may press for the disclosure of personal information or quick payment by pretending to be a hospital, bail bondsmen, the IRS or even a family member.

TIP:  Reputable companies or organizations WILL NOT pressure you to act fast with tight time constraints. If an email is asking you to act quickly, take pause.  Avoid clicking on any links until you verify the legitimacy of the email through a secondary source. 

Phishing Scam

These scams can look official with emails, text messages, or voicemails from banks or other reputable companies meant to trick unsuspecting victims into giving out personal or financial information to steal personal information or money.

TIP:  Look out for generic greetings, misspelled words, grammatical errors, or logo variations.  If you notice anything suspicious, don’t click on any links. Don’t download files as these can deliver malware to your device.  Phishing scams can lead to identity theft.

Utility Scam

Scammers pretend to be from a service company (i.e., the electric company) and pressure consumers to send a payment to avoid having their service turned off.  They’ll contact the victim via phone or email and use scare tactics to trick those targeted into providing financial information.

TIP:  Utility companies WILL NEVER ask for last minute payments, especially via the phone or email.  If making a payment over the phone, hang up and call the provider directly.

Support Specialist Scam

Pretending to be a support specialist from a known technology company, scammers try to steal information by claiming there is something wrong with the victim’s account or device.  These scammers trick victims into thinking their computer is damaged to get them to allow remote access to scammers under the false claim that they can fix the issue.

TIP:  Support specialists from legitimate companies DO NOT cold call to help you fix a device or account issue.  Nor will they ask consumers to download an app or request access to their device.

Pay Yourself Scam

Scammers will send a text or email that looks like a fraud alert from the person’s bank asking if they authorized a transaction.  They’ll then call as a bank representative offering to help stop the alleged fraud and ask them to send money via transfer or person to person payment.  In reality, the payment is being sent to the scammer.

TIP:  Know this.  Peoples Bank will NEVER call, email or text you, and ask for your account number, ATM PIN, online banking username/password or social security number – but scammers will.  Hang up or don’t reply to the text or email.

Spoofing Scam

Spoofing is a type of scam in which a criminal intentionally alters the information relayed to your caller ID display to hide their identity or impersonate somebody else.  The scammer often changes just one number, letter, or symbol of the communication so that it looks valid at a quick glance.  The goal of the scammer is to get the target to download malware, send money, or share personal information or data with them.

TIP:  Avoid answering phone calls from unknown numbers.  If you happen to answer a spoofed call, avoid hitting buttons or following instructions.  Instead, hang up immediately. 

ID TheftSmart

Peoples Bank has partnered with Kroll, an industry leader in ID theft protection and restoration, to offer you ID TheftSmart. This service helps monitor your credit and identity theft markers to take a proactive approach to protect your information. Services include:

• Single Bureau Credit Monitoring through Experian
• ID Theft Consulting
• ID Theft Restoration
• Alert delivery via email

ID TheftSmart is available for $4.95 per month. Click the button below for further details about the service. 

Mobile Wallet^*

Add security to your purchases by utilizing your smartphone or smart watch's mobile wallet feature. Instead of carrying your physical debit card, you can add your debit card to your mobile wallet and make contactless payments anywhere that accepts that form of payment. Peoples Bank Debit Cards are currently compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Look for the symbol below to utilize your mobile wallet for payment.

Account Alerts^*

You can take full control of your accounts by utilizing the alerts functionality within your Peoples Bank Online Banking profile. You can set up alerts for:

• Low balances
• Withdrawals from your account
• Deposits to your account
• Checks posted to your account

Alerts are customizable to your preferences. You choose what your alerts are and how your are notified. 


*Message and data rates may apply.

Card Controls

You can take control of your debit cards by using Card Controls within your Peoples Bank Online Banking profile or mobile banking app. Card Controls allow you to monitor activity and quickly respond if something doesn’t look right. You can:

• Turn your card on or off instantly
• Set limits on transactions or spending
• Restrict purchases by location or merchant type
• Receive alerts for card activity

Card Controls are customizable to your preferences, giving you the ability to manage how and when your card is used. Having this level of control is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of fraud and protect your accounts in real time.