By Alyssa McMillan
Cases of scams and fraud are on the rise all over the nation, including small towns such as Schoolcraft. “I would say in some sort of way, we probably deal with scams or fraud every single day,” said Michanna Holbrook, the security manager at Kalamazoo County State Bank (KCSB). “It’s getting more and more common and I think [the scammers] are always 10 steps ahead.”
That’s why the bank’s staff decided to host the Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud Seminar – to protect members of their community. “We had a lot of our customers getting scammed. We do a lot of employee training within the bank and I thought we needed to get some of that information that we’re always training on out to the public to try and help the customers to protect themselves,” Branch Manager Deanna Gerow said. “Everybody knows somebody who’s been affected, so we’re just trying to give you the tools to protect yourself.”
Partnered with the Better Business Bureau, the seminar taught attendees about a number of common scams, such as home improvement, cryptocurrency, and online shopping scams, as well as how to protect themselves from financial fraud.
The bank’s President and CEO, Scott Hines, advised that citizens should be on the lookout for “something unusual,” if they think they are being scammed. He warns not to click on unexpected links or emails, and to always be skeptical. “Go back and do your own [research]. If it’s something not expected, just consider it a scam until you can prove it true.”
Scammers use a variety of tactics to target people of all ages, said the bank’s Vicksburg branch manager, MaKenzie Dunning. “Just because someone is a member of a younger generation, they should not assume that they’re invincible. More commonly, the younger generation will fall for simple scams while the older generation is affected on a higher level financially.”
It is extremely important that everyone is constantly aware of the threat of being scammed. Once personal information has been given out, there is only so much anyone can do to stop scammers from using it. If someone becomes a victim of scams or fraud, Holbrook said, “Definitely contact your bank. Then, depending on what information you’re giving out, you should definitely contact the credit bureaus and possibly put a freeze on your Social Security number and your credit bureau so [the scammers] don’t have access to that and take out possible loans and credit cards or anything that could affect your credit that way.”
For those with questions about how to protect themselves from scams and fraud, the staff at the Schoolcraft KCSB suggests they call (269) 679-5291 or stop by the bank for more information.
