Fraud Archives

February 26, 2024

Protecting your Business from Fraud with Positive Pay

Even though evolving payment options means that fewer checks are being written, check fraud remains a threat to businesses. Positive Pay is one of the best fraud detection tools and River City Bank offers two options: Check Positive Pay and ACH Positive Pay.

ACH Positive Pay. ACH Positive Pay is a security feature that prevents unauthorized electronic debits from posting to your accounts. Whenever there are debits from new or unrecognized sources, they are highlighted as exceptions for your review. You can either add these new companies to your list of authorized debtors or return the transactions within the Commercial Cash Management platform.

Check Positive Pay. Check Positive Pay matches the check number and dollar amount of each check presented for payment against an approved list of authorized checks issued by your company. Both components of the check must match exactly to be paid. If there isn't a match, the check is flagged as an exception and a list will be emailed for authorization before payment will be made. A payee match is automatically added to enhance your check-positive pay review process.

At River City Bank, your account security is our priority. If you would like to learn more about Positive Pay, please contact our Cash Management Team at (916) 567-2660 or email at [email protected]

November 2, 2023

Beware of Scammers Posing as Bank Employees

Hacker, malware notification on mobile phone. Smartphone with hacker alert, spam data on cellphone fraud error message, scam, virus. Flat vector illustration.

There are resurging scams targeting bank customers that we want to bring to your attention. The scams were initiated differently; however, their ultimate goal was the same – to get to your hard-earned money. In one instance, the customer received a text message stating that their Apple ID had been compromised and that the customer needed to call the number provided in the text to resolve the issue. In a different case, the customer’s computer screen displayed a black screen with a message from “Microsoft” prompting the customer to call the number provided on the screen in order to repair their computer.

When the customer calls the number, the scammer informs them that their bank account had been compromised and they are asked to provide their debit card number along with other identifying information. After obtaining the information, the customer is transferred to the bank’s supposed fraud department where a different scammer informs them that their money is not safe due to a compromise by bank staff. The customer is advised to immediately withdraw their money. The scammers actually stay on the phone while the customer conducts the withdrawal and then direct them to deposit the cash at a specific bitcoin ATM in order to “keep it safe”.

Please keep the following red flags of common tech support/cryptocurrency scams in mind to avoid being the next victim:

You receive an unsolicited phone call, text message, email, or a pop-up prompt noting that your computer is compromised.
You are asked to call an unknown number, or are automatically transferred, for further support.
You are asked to provide additional information about yourself.
You are asked to provide access to your computer or for you to perform certain actions on your device, such as downloading software or going to a specific website.
You are instructed not to disclose to bank personnel the reason for the cash withdrawal.
They shift the conversation from the initial topic (e.g. device issue to compromised bank account).
You are asked to withdraw a large sum of money and deposit it into a different account not owned by you (e.g. bitcoin ATM) in order to keep the money safe.
You are asked to pay in cryptocurrency for services. No legitimate business is going to demand that you send your payment in cryptocurrency.

Remember to only use known contact information when calling the bank or any other business. If you are uncertain of the legitimacy of the call, immediately hang up and call the bank using a verified contact number. Never call or respond to a number that was initially provided. In addition, be cautious of depositing your money into cryptocurrency ATMs.

To learn more about tech support or cryptocurrency scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice site: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams or https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-cryptocurrency-and-scams.

Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

As always, River City Bank is here for you. Should you have any questions about your personal or financial information or fear you may be a victim of a financial scam, reach out to our Customer Service Team at (916) 567-2899 or (800) 564-7144 or by email at [email protected].

September 29, 2021

Security Alert – Phishing URLs

Unfortunately, phishing scams are not going away. The use of business email compromise, smishing or text scams, and ransomware scams are still prevalent. However, the use of Phishing URLs has seen a sharp increase over the past year. Reported cases in April 2021 nearly tripled that of April 2020; 28,000 cases to over 63,000 cases.

Phishing URLs affect both businesses and consumers. This type of scam can generally be attributed to the increase in remote workers and the heavy use of convenient online services such as banking, shopping, and bill pay.

What is a Phishing URL?

A Phishing URL is a website domain or URL that appears to be the official website but has a slight variation. At a glance, the website address seems to be legitimate; however, it takes you to a different website. The scam website can mirror the legitimate website’s homepage, making this type of scam tricky for consumers and highly effective for criminals.

Examples of Phishing URLs:

Legitimate website URL: www.rivercitybank.com
Phishing URLs: www.river-citybank.com; www.rivercitybanking.com; www.river-city-bank.com
Legitimate URL: www.irs.gov
Phishing URLs: www.irs.org; www.irs.com; www.internalrevservice.gov

How Can You Avoid Phishing URLs?

Confirm the URL: Double and triple-check the website address before entering any credentials or clicking on links within the website.
Bookmark Frequently Used Sites: Use the bookmark or favorite’s functions to save frequently visited sites instead of conducting a web search each time. The bookmark will save the legitimate site, thus mitigating the risk of clicking on a Phishing URL.

For more information on cybersecurity, visit the River City Bank Safety and Security page.

December 23, 2020

Freezing Your Credit

Close up of credit cards frozen in a block of ice

What is a credit freeze?

Also known as a security freeze, a credit freeze is a tool that lets you restrict access to your credit report, making it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. Most creditors need to see your credit report before they approve a new account, if they can’t review your report, they may not extend the credit. A credit freeze gives you more control over the release of your financial information.

Does a credit freeze affect my credit score?

No. A credit freeze does not affect your credit score. A credit freeze also does not prevent the following:

Prevent you from getting a free annual credit report
Keep you from opening a new account. To open a new account, you’ll need to lift the freeze temporarily. You can lift the freeze or thaw credit anytime you need to access your credit.
Prevent a criminal from making charges to your existing accounts. You still need to monitor all bank, credit card, and insurance statements for fraudulent transactions. We recommend that you monitor your accounts daily.

Is there a cost to freeze/unfreeze my credit?

No.

How do I place a freeze on my credit reports?

You need to contact each of the nationwide credit bureaus. You will need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and other personal information. After receiving the freeze request, each credit bureau will provide you with a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze.

How do I lift a freeze?

A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily lift it or remove it altogether. Contact the credit bureau to temporarily lift or remove the freeze.

If you opt for a temporary lift because you are applying for credit or a job, and you can find out which credit bureau the business will contact for your file, you can save some time by lifting the freeze only at that particular credit bureau. Otherwise, you need to make the request with all three credit bureaus.

Should you have questions about freezing credit, visit a credit bureau website or the Federal Trade Commission – www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/identity-theft. The Federal Trade Commission is a valuable resource to learn more about protecting your personal and financial information from identity thieves and cyber criminals.

For additional information, contact one of our Customer Service Representative at (916) 567-2899 or (800) 564-7144 or via email at [email protected].