It is difficult to discover bank fraud. Here is how to know if this message is legitimate

Ariel Burton usually ignore emails from her bank. Usually ads for products that you do not need, like a new credit card. But she noticed when I received a message about changing an account costing her.

“When I saw an email about how to double my account maintenance fees, I was interested in that formulation,” said Burton, editor at CNET.

It was Sunday, and no one responded when I called the number in the email. TD Bank 24/7 customer service was supposed to be. When I re -read the email, I noticed that some links were broken, and I became worried. Share some personal information when I called. Was it targeting her? Banking fraud?

Burton arrived at TD Bank’s customer service representative on Monday, who told her that the message was legitimate and that the best phone number to call was included on the mobile phone application. She also learned that her current account was eliminated, so she looked at the latest TD account to avoid high fees.

But she had a big question without an answer: How can you know when it really called her bank? After all, a legal email sparked a group of red flags.

If you are worried about whether you can trust a message claiming to be from your bank, here is what you need to know.

Read more: Is this a text message from your legal bank? How to discover and avoid short text messages fraud

The legitimate reasons that may connect you to your joke

Your bank will need to contact you sometimes. Here are four common reasons that you will hear.

🪪 To check your identity

When you open an account, your bank will check your identity. This is part of a federal law known as the customer’s due care, which is designed to ensure that you are the one who says you are not involved in illegal procedures such as money laundering.

Your bank may ask you to provide the social security number or your tax identifier, along with other details, including the postal address, your phone number, e -mail and birth signing. For example, when my wife and I recently opened an ally Common savings accountI received a financial notice in our mailbox with a login request and to confirm her social security number

Note that the bank will never call or send a text message to you to check your identity. They will only order this by mail to your actual address or inside the bank’s safe messaging center.

Your bank may also verify your identity when taking certain action. For example, if you call the bank customer service line, you may be asked to share a special password you created. If you need to reset the password to your online banking account, you may need to check for the use of bilateral factors with a unique code sent to your mobile phone number. Anytime you make a change on your account, your bank will want to ensure that you are really.

⚠ To alert you from suspicious activity

If your bank thinks that your account behavior is unusual, it may send you a text message to confirm that you have started treatment.

However, keep in mind that most banks have advanced algorithms that can discover fraudulent activity and automatically rejects surface transactions. If you are worried that someone is hacking in your account, it is better to log in to your banking application to review your transactions. If you discover something suspicious, call the bank using the official roads (more about it below).

🚨 To warn you of a low balance

If you choose the alerts in mind, you may receive a notification when your balance is less than a certain amount. Depending on the preferences you have identified, this may be by email, text or pressure notification.

Take a moment to review your account settings and know how these messages arrive. Then, log in to your account to check that your balance is already low.

🔓 To inform you of the breach of the data

While banks use a better encryption in their class to protect your data, they are also awards for infiltrators. When the bank suffers from data breach, it is legally required to inform customers, along with the types of data that may have been at risk.

This may come as an email, but it is often a physical mail that contains additional information about what the bank does to protect your details, such as the offer Identity monitoring services For a certain period of time.

Be aware that some fraudsters create alerts for fake data breach to try to get your information. This is what this fraud looks at And how to stay safe from them.

How to make sure you are really talking to your bank

Even if you receive a legitimate call, it is wise to take these precautions to check that you are not deceived.

📱 Run the bank’s official customer service number or chat with an agent

Call the free number on the back of the discount card or credit card or visit the bank’s official website and search for the “Contact us” section. You may also be able to log in to your online account and chat with an actor.

✉ Send a safe message via the online portal

Log in to your account through the bank’s official website or application and send a safe message. This is my choice to communicate with a bank, Chis. Usually I get a response during one working day, as well as an e -mail alert to tell us that I received a message.

🏦 Visit a branch

You can also visit your local banking branch and talk to a person. You can walk and ask if someone is available but scheduling an appointment with an actor can ensure your ability to speak with someone immediately.

Should you automatically respond to a message from your bank?

no. Although it is important to take communication from your bank seriously, do not feel pressure on the response immediately. The fraudsters often create a sense of urgency to make you behave before you think twice.

When you receive a message about your bank account, take a deep breath and check the details before taking any action. Is the address of the sender strange? Are there spelling errors? Do they ask you to share the personal identification number or other sensitive information? review These joint red flags From the American Banking Association to know what to avoid.

Note about sound authentication

The banks adopted an increasingly supporting vitality to intensify their safety game, which must provide peace of mind for most customers. No one can repeat my face or fingerprints, so I feel satisfied with my account safety when I use these features. There is one way, however, I am not sure: sound authentication.

Banks such as Wells Fargo use audio verification services to grant some account holders to their details. I am skeptical of this safety because it takes only $ 5 For Amnesty International to clone your voice. Burton is similarly skeptical.

“Whenever I hear this invitation to register in automatic sound security, I always conclude,” Burton said. “Certainly not. I see what artificial intelligence can do.

Best safe from sorry

According to data from Federal Trade CommitteeConsumers lost more than $ 12.5 billion for fraud last year. Although it may be easy for a bad actor to contact you via email, text messages or social media, you can take steps to make it difficult for them to stay away from anything. With an important thing like your money, it is always intelligent to be careful.