Telephone scam affects Fort Bragg

by Paula M. Fitzgerald
Paraglide

Telephone scam artists want your money.

Kellie Neuschwanger, an information security specialist for the Fort Bragg Directorate of Emergency Services, said unknown persons are using phone technology to trick people in to divulging personal information, such as credit card numbers and other pertinent banking details.
Several Soldiers on base have alerted their respective unit security managers about the scam. The scammers have also targeted Neuschwanger.

“Someone calls your phone, and the number on the caller (identification), says it’s blocked,” Neuschwanger explained. “Then a recording tells you that your bank information has been comprised, and you should press one to resolve the issue.”

After pressing one to continue with the “process,” the recording asks the phone call recipient to enter his banking information. That’s all it takes for someone to steal your money.

“Fortunately, I haven’t heard that any of the Soldiers here have followed the instructions to give their information,” Neuschwanger said.

This type of fraud is known as “vishing,” which is short for voice phishing.

According to a story posted on www.vacu.org, “The scammers use cheaply obtained voice over Internet protocol numbers that can recognize telephone keystrokes to capture the account information. To appear legitimate, they choose area codes for these phony numbers that match the area code of a legitimate financial institution phone number or use technology to trick caller ID boxes into displaying erroneous information.”

Neuschwanger said that the scammers appear to be technologically savvy.

“They contact people and claim to be from their respective banking institutions,” she said. “I don’t know where they are getting their lists of contact information — probably the Internet. That’s why this is so confusing for people though. The calls seem to be coming from their banks and credit unions.”

Some Soldiers who bank at Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union have been targeted by the scam.
However, a flyer from Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union reads that the institution does not solicit personal or account information via the Internet or telephone communications. Generally, this is true for most banks and credit unions.

Neuschwanger said the best way to protect yourself from becoming a scam victim is to be proactive.

“Be vigilant. Never answer questions about your personal information over the phone or on the Internet,” she stated. “If you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, do not give them your information. Do some research and find a legitimate number to the institution. Let them know what happened to see if you were targeted by scammers.”

She also suggested that people check their credit reports often to make sure the information is accurate and genuine.

If you have received suspicious calls concerning your personal banking information, write down every detail about the message, then contact your unit’s security manager.