Elgin residents have recently been targeted in a phishing scam where an automated telephone call is received in an attempt to obtain personal banking information.
The phishing scam surfaced this weekend and involves Elgin residents receiving an automated telephone call from a legitimate financial institution informing people that there is a problem with an ATM card. The automated message asks that residents press “1” to be connected to a security department.
“Scams never seem to end,” said Elgin Crime Prevention Specialist and Elderly Service Officer Cherie Aschenbrenner. “People should never give out personal banking information over the phone to anyone calling for the information.”
The Elgin Police Department received more than 30 complaints about the scam over the weekend. No one is believed to have been a victim.
“Residents should simply hang up,” said Aschenbrenner. “If there are any questions for their bank, residents should look up the number themselves and dial the bank directly. Never call a number someone asks them over the phone to call.”
Elgin’s Police Department has nearly 190 sworn police officers with a strong tradition of community policing. Elgin has the second lowest crime rate of comparable size cities in Illinois with serious crime down by nearly 6 percent in 2009.