Customer Support Blog

Welcome to our Support & Security page! Nebraska State Bank will post tips here on how to protect yourself from common scams, as well as discuss other safety and security issues that might affect our customers.

If you have gotten suspicious calls, letters, emails or online messages, or you feel like something isn’t quite right with your account, please contact us immediately at (308) 772-3234.

January 2021: Should Auld Scammers Be Forgot

Text And Email = Great. Text and Email Scams = Not So Great
We all love text and email, as they allow us to not speak with our friends and family.

All kidding aside, it’s a pretty great form of communication. But a huge benefit of an actual phone call is that when a relative calls, we know it’s them, and not some creepy scammer.

So if you get a text or email from someone in your social circle stating that they’ve come into some money—lotto winnings, inheritance, etc.—and you just need to pay them a small amount to collect it—immediately look up your friend/relative’s phone number, and voice/video call them.

Criminals can fake your contacts’ numbers and names so they can chat you up, then try to scam you. So when money’s involved, don’t trust a text or email.

And in general, if you’re trying to do a transaction with someone who wants you to use some kind of gift card like google play cards, walk away.

Social Security Spoof Calls
Speaking of spoofing, scammers are also faking legitimate phone numbers/caller IDs to try to scam people out of social security numbers. So if you get a call that says in effect,” we found unusual activity on your social security number,” just ignore it.

December 2020: Such Bad Little Girls and Boys

COVID Scams Are Afoot
Just in time for Christmas comes a slew of COVID scams:

There’s the COVID test kit scam, which asks you to provide a credit card number or personal information to have a non-existent test kit shipped to you.

There’s a COVID vaccine hospital/VA scam, seen on hospital letterhead as well as VA hospital letterhead, which also asks for a card number or personal info in return for getting a non-existent COVID vaccine.

And there’s a treatment COVID scam, which asks you to part with your hard-earned money for questionable products that will not cure COVID, and if they’re shipped to you at all, they may harm you.

We’re all anxious to be done with this virus, but do not be taken by these fraudsters. These are all fake, but if there’s something about them that looks legitimate, like the letterhead of a local hospital, look up the hospital’s number and call them or your doctor directly to verify!

Fake Amazon “Tech Support” Scam
Scammers use the names of huge companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon, because they know that many of us use their services.

One current scam involves being contacted by someone, supposedly from Amazon, about a tech support issue with your phone. They will request remote access to your phone, and once they have it, they can access banking info, emails, texts…and wreak havoc.
While this usually affects non-iPhone phones, everyone should just ignore them!

Informative Online Scam Report
The Better Business Bureau has released an excellent report detailing the state of online scams in 2020, and it’s scary: In just the last five years, online purchase scams reported to the BBB resulting in a monetary loss increased 50 percent. Facebook and Google are two of the biggest platforms where these scams take place.

There’s a lot of useful info you can use to protect yourself and your family in this report, and you can view it here: BBB Online Scam Report

November 2020: It’s Black Friday For Scam Artists

Be Wary Of Bad Charities
Garden County residents have received checks in the mail from various fake charities, including a supposed disabled veterans’ foundation charity. The checks are normally only for a few dollars, and are sometimes accompanied by small gifts with the purpose of “guilting” you into donating.
Our residents were cautious enough not to send money, nor provide any personal or banking information—a good thing, since the checks couldn’t be cashed.

Charity donations are an important part of this wonderful holiday season, so if you want to donate to a reputable one, visit www.charitywatch.org or www.charitynavigator.org

Please Review Your Monthly Statements
As you sift through paperwork this tax season, Nebraska State Bank would like to remind you to review your account statements each month. You have 60 days from your statement date to receive credit for any incorrect transactions, after which all deposit and withdrawal slips are shredded.

October 2020: Avoid These Scary Scams

Screen of Death Tech Support Scam: an oldie but a goodie, this computer scam is making the rounds again:

First, your computer is infected, and then it shows a frozen screen and a message. Examples include “your computer has been locked/blocked/frozen,” “your credit card/banking/Facebook login details have been stolen,” “your computer has a virus,” or “call Microsoft tech support.”

When you call the provided phone number, a very convincing scammer tries to get you to pay for “tech support” to remove their malicious software. Do not call this number. Instead turn off your computer, and contact Nebraska State Bank immediately. We will decide what steps need to be taken to protect you and your accounts. And it’s critical that after such an attack, you take your computer to a reputable tech support business and have it wiped completely before it is safe to use again!

The best defense against computer viruses like this are high computer security settings, and quality anti-virus and anti-malware programs that automatically update and run daily.

Check Cashing Scam: someone calls you on the phone, and they offer to open a bank account in your name if you’ll just cash a couple checks for them. Turns out the checks are from a real bank account, but it doesn’t belong to the person on the phone! And if you fall for it, you could be pursued for any money owed from that transaction.

Just say no, or better yet, let your voicemail take every call that you don’t recognize!

September 2020: Current Scams

Here are the scams making the rounds right now:

Robocall Checking Account / Card Scam: an automated voice says that a large transaction has been initiated from your checking account or card, and asks you to say yes to authorize it. The tricky part is that it says if you want to cancel this transaction, to call the phone number of their “billing department” where they will try to get your account or card information. They are trying to steal your information, so don’t call them!

Child Trafficking SSN Scam: another troubling scam is a call saying that some of the digits in your social security number are being used in child trafficking. Again, do not engage these people, as they are fishing for your full social security number and other personal or financial information.

The lesson here is to first, let the answering machine/voice mail take any call that you don’t recognize. But if you pick up the phone, do not give them any information!

Don’t Click That Link!

Cyber scams have gotten so good that even we can nearly fall for them.
A recent rash of fake PayPal/Netflix emails have asked NSB employees and customers alike to click a link to update payment information. Of course they aren’t legitimate emails, and giving these scammers your account or card info can result in lost money and much frustration.

With our busy lives and occasionally changing card numbers, it’s easy to mindlessly click somewhere, update the numbers, and get on with our day. But instead of clicking an email link, first ask yourself, do I actually pay for this service or share it with a family member? Did I actually get an updated card number? Going to the website or mobile app itself is the safest way to check the account status.

Elder Fraud: $3 Billion Lost Each Year

According to the FBI, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme. These scams cost seniors more than $3 billion each year.

Criminals gain your trust through computer, phone, and mail communication, as well as through TV and radio. Once successful, scammers are likely to keep a scheme going because of the prospect of significant financial gain.
Learn more about these scams below, so you don’t become a victim of these heinous crimes.

Common Elder Fraud Schemes

Romance scam: Criminals pose as interested romantic partners on social media or dating websites to capitalize on their elderly victims’ desire to find companions.

Tech support scam: Criminals pose as technology support representatives and offer to fix non-existent computer issues. The scammers gain remote access to victims’ devices and sensitive information.

Grandparent scam: Criminals pose as a relative—usually a child or grandchild—claiming to be in immediate financial need (in jail, etc.).

Government impersonation scam: Criminals pose as government employees and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to provide funds or other payments.

Sweepstakes/charity/lottery scam: Criminals claim to work for legitimate charitable organizations to gain victims’ trust. Or they claim their targets have won a foreign lottery or sweepstake, which they can collect for a “fee.”

Home repair scam: Criminals appear in person and charge homeowners in advance for home improvement services that they never provide.

TV/radio scam: Criminals target potential victims using illegitimate advertisements about legitimate services, such as reverse mortgages or credit repair.
Family/caregiver scam: Relatives or acquaintances of the elderly victims take advantage of them or otherwise get their money.

How To Protect Yourself

• Recognize scam attempts and end all communication with the perpetrator.
• Search online for the person’s/company’s contact information (name, email, phone number, addresses) and the proposed offer. Other people have likely posted information online about individuals and businesses trying to run scams.
• Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one.
• Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door services offers.
• Never give or send any personally identifiable information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks, or wire information to unverified people or businesses.
• Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls.
• Disconnect from the internet and shut down your device if you see a pop-up message or locked screen. Pop-ups are regularly used by perpetrators to spread malicious software. Enable pop-up blockers to avoid accidentally clicking on a pop-up.
• Be careful what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.
• Take precautions to protect your identity if a criminal gains access to your device or account. Immediately contact your bank to place protections on your accounts, and monitor your accounts and personal information for suspicious activity.

For more information, please visit www.fbi.gov

How to Protect Your Computer

Here are some key steps to protecting your computer from intrusion:

• Keep Your Firewall Turned On: A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to gain access to crash it, delete information, or even steal passwords or other sensitive information. Software firewalls are widely recommended for single computers. The software is prepackaged on some operating systems or can be purchased for individual computers. For multiple networked computers, hardware routers typically provide firewall protection.
• Install or Update Your Antivirus Software: Antivirus software is designed to prevent malicious software programs from embedding on your computer. If it detects malicious code, like a virus or a worm, it works to disarm or remove it. Viruses can infect computers without users’ knowledge. Most types of antivirus software can be set up to update automatically.
• Install or Update Your Antispyware Technology: Spyware is just what it sounds like—software that is surreptitiously installed on your computer to let others peer into your activities on the computer. Some spyware collects information about you without your consent or produces unwanted pop-up ads on your web browser. Some operating systems offer free spyware protection, and inexpensive software is readily available for download on the Internet or at your local computer store. Be wary of ads on the Internet offering downloadable antispyware—in some cases these products may be fake and may actually contain spyware or other malicious code. It’s like buying groceries—shop where you trust.
• Keep Your Operating System Up to Date: Computer operating systems are periodically updated to stay in tune with technology requirements and to fix security holes. Be sure to install the updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection.
• Be Careful What You Download: Carelessly downloading e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don’t know, and be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know. They may have unwittingly advanced malicious code.
• Turn Off Your Computer: With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many opt to leave their computers on and ready for action. The downside is that being “always on” renders computers more susceptible. Beyond firewall protection, which is designed to fend off unwanted attacks, turning the computer off effectively severs an attacker’s connection—be it spyware or a botnet that employs your computer’s resources to reach out to other unwitting users.

For more information, please visit www.fbi.gov