Police in Salem Warning of Phishing Scam

The listed phone number on this particular message is no longer in service.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore. ) - The Salem Police Department would like to warn the public of a "Phishing" scam that criminals are using to try and obtain personal financial information.

The messages appear on e-mail or text messaging and appear to be from "security" and are entitled "ALERT." The text advises that "Your Bank of the Cascades account is closed due to unusual activity, call us at 8182928218."

The listed phone number on this particular message is no longer in service, but some people did call and followed instructions given to them on a recording instructing them to provide their credit/debit card numbers, expiration date and PIN number.

Financial Institutions will never send a text, e-mail or phone message asking for this information, because they already have it.

Police advise that if you receive a message like this, delete it immediately and do not respond to it. Do not call the number back or click on any links provided, as they will most likely take you to a false website. If you have any questions, look up the phone number for your financial institution through directory assistance or by other means than the numbers provided in the message, then call the institution to see if the correspondence is legitimate.

If you do provide financial or personal information by any of these means, contact your financial institution and/or credit card company immediately and report the event. They will most likely advise you to close your accounts to prevent your information from being used to fraudulently obtain your money.

Source: Salem Police Department