Phishing is not a new scam; however this type of criminal activity has become more prevalent in recent years. A phishing scam is an attempt to utilize public or other known information in an attempt to persuade consumers to divulge additional private information that will allow access to personal accounts.

Phishing scams often target customers of financial institutions and retail merchants in an attempt to get account numbers, social security numbers, passwords, etc. with the ultimate goal of stealing cash from their victims.

Alliance Bank follows common banking and business practices when verifying a customer’s identity or other information. "We do not utilize account numbers or whole tax identification numbers to verify your identity. We strongly advise that you never divulge this type of information to anyone," said a bank official.

Even customers who bank “the old fashioned way”, should always be on guard as they are the target of these crimes and are the best line of defense against this type of attack. As technology evolves, so do the methods used by these criminals. Everyone must be cautious of unusual messages, whether by phone call, email, or text, just as one would be of a stranger at the door.

If you receive a request for information in any manner, always call the banker you know at their bank phone number thus derailing any attempts to gain your personal information.

Alliance Bank is headquartered in Francesville, and has offices in Monon, Monticello, Otterbein, Oxford, Rensselaer, and Winamac.