Texas Bank and Trust, one of East Texas's most trusted local banks, has taken the unusual step of publicly warning its customers about a new scam that is hitting people in our area. The scam involves criminals calling customers and pretending to be bank employees. Their goal is to trick you into giving up your account information so they can steal your money.
This kind of scam is not new across the country, but it is showing up right here in East Texas, and that means we need to pay extra attention. When your neighbors are being targeted, it is time to make sure you and your family know the warning signs.
I want to walk you through exactly how this scam works, what the red flags look like, and what to do if you get one of these calls. The good news is that once you know the pattern, it is much easier to spot and hang up before any damage is done.
🔍 How Does This Scam Work?
Bank impersonation scams follow a familiar script. The caller says they are from your bank's fraud department, or from their security team, and they sound professional and calm. They may even know your name, your bank's name, and sometimes the last few digits of your account. That information is not hard for scammers to find, and they use it to seem more convincing.
Here is how the call usually goes:
They say there has been suspicious activity on your account and your money is at risk right now. This creates panic so you stop thinking clearly.
They ask you to "verify your identity" by giving them your account number, PIN, online banking password, or the code from a text message your bank just sent.
They pressure you to act immediately. They say if you hang up to call the bank, the fraudulent transactions will go through. This is a lie designed to keep you on the line.
With your information, they access your account online, transfer funds, or use your code to approve a transaction you never intended to make.
🚩 Red Flags to Watch For
These are the warning signs that tell you something is not right. If you notice even one of these during a call, hang up immediately.
Your real bank will never, under any circumstances, ask you for your PIN or online banking password over the phone. Never. If anyone claiming to be from your bank asks for this, it is a scam.
If your bank sent you a text with a security code and the caller immediately asks you to read it back to them, stop. That code is what they need to get into your account. Do not share it.
Legitimate banks give you time to think. If the caller says your account will be frozen, closed, or drained if you do not act this very second, that is a pressure tactic. It is designed to stop you from thinking straight.
If the caller says it is not safe to call the bank's real number, or that doing so will make things worse, hang up immediately. Your real bank will always want you to call them directly.
Scammers can fake the number that shows up on your phone. A call that looks like it is from Texas Bank and Trust might actually be from a criminal halfway across the country. Caller ID alone does not mean a call is real.
✅ What to Do If You Get One of These Calls
Here is exactly what to do if you receive a suspicious call like this:
Do not try to argue or ask questions. Just end the call. There is nothing rude about protecting yourself.
Flip over your debit or credit card and call the number printed on the back. Tell them what happened. They can check your account for anything unusual.
Report the call to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your bank's fraud team. Your report helps protect others in your community.
The more people who know about this scam, the fewer people get hurt by it. Share this article with someone you care about.
📞 Who to Call If You've Been Targeted
This is not the first time scammers have targeted people in our area. A while back I wrote about the fake deputy Bitcoin trap hitting Smith County families, and more recently I covered how a Dollar General manager stepped in to stop a $500 scam on a local veteran. These scams share the same playbook: urgency, impersonation, pressure. Once you learn to recognize the pattern, you can spot it every time.
God Bless.
Robert
Owner, TechEase
"No jargon, no judgment, just patient help that makes sense."
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