Fourth of July “Vishing” Alert

Beware of a possible phone scam over the Fourth of July weekend, warns the Wisconsin

Bankers Association (WBA). “Vishing”—a combination of “voice” and “phishing”—involves a recorded voice informing victims that their bank accounts are frozen and also provides a toll-free number to use in reinstating the account if customers can verify their personal information.

The WBA warns that the vishing attack may be timed to coincide with a holiday, when banks are closed and consumers may not have easy access to their accounts for request verification. “No bank or legitimate business will request a customer to verify personal information such as PINs, bank account numbers or Social Security Numbers over the phone,” said Kurt Bauer, WBA’s president/CEO, in a release. “Unless you initiate the contact, you should never give this information out.”