NORWAY — In these times of crisis, fraudsters take advantage of the public’s fear, anxiety and uncertainty to step up their attempts to obtain sensitive, personal information, thereby allowing them to steal identities and, potentially, money.

This week, we were made aware of a scam targeting Norway Savings Bank customers. The fraudsters called various NSB customers saying they were with the Bank. Using fear tactics and untruths, they convinced the victims to provide their debit card data and other personal information.

Please remember: Norway Savings will never reach out via phone, email or text and ask you for your personal or financial information. Therefore, if you receive such a communication, ignore it or hang up! If you have any questions or are unsure about the communication’s origin, call our Customer Care Center at 888.725.2207.

Recently, we’ve also received reports from NSB loan customers who received post cards urging them to call the bank about “an important matter regarding this loan.” These, too are fraudulent. Any official bank correspondence will arrive in an NSB-branded envelope.

The Federal Trade Commission has identified other scams which try to capitalize on those who have been hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Do not respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government. Scammers may try to get you to pay a fee to get your stimulus check faster. Or they might try to convince you to give them your Social Security number, bank account or government benefits debit card account.
• Hang up on robocalls. Fraudsters are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes. Remember, a robocall is trying to sell you something illegal unless they have received your written permission to call you that way.
• Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And never click on links from sources you don’t know.
• Do your homework when it comes to donations. Never donate in cash, by gift card or by wiring money.
• Be wary of ads for test kits. The FDA recently announced approval for one home test kit, which requires a doctor’s order. Most test kits being advertised have NOT been approved by the FDA and aren’t necessarily accurate.

We hope you stay safe and healthy during the current crisis. While no one has escaped this pandemic unscathed – either medically, professionally or financially – we will all get through this together.