member alert! | phone scams are real – learn to hang up!
1/31/2025People lose a lot of money to phone scams — sometimes their life savings. Scammers have figured out countless ways to cheat you out of your money over the phone. In some scams, they act friendly and helpful. They pretend to be from specific departments or contacts from businesses and organizations you work with normally — but they definitely are not! In others, they threaten or try to scare you. They’ll do what it takes to get your money or your personal information to commit identity theft. Don’t give it to them. Here’s what you need to know.
How To Stop Calls from Scammers
Hang up
Even if it’s not a scammer calling, when a company is calling you illegally, it’s not a company you want to do business with. When you get a robocall, don't press any numbers to let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list. Instead, it might lead to more robocalls.
Consider call blocking or call labeling
Scammers don’t care if you’re on the National Do Not Call Registry. That’s why call blocking is your best defense against unwanted calls. Which type of call-blocking or call-labeling technology you use will depend on the phone — whether it’s a cell phone, a traditional landline, or a home phone that makes calls over the internet (VoIP). See what services your phone carrier offers and look online for expert reviews. For cell phones, also check out the reviews for different call-blocking apps in your app store. Learn more about blocking unwanted calls.
Don’t trust your caller ID
Scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID. That’s called spoofing. So even if it looks like a government agency like the Social Security Administration calling, or it is a local number, or even if the caller ID says the call is from Service 1st, it could be a scammer calling from anywhere in the world.
Learn more about unwanted calls and what to do about them at ftc.gov/calls.
What To Do If You Already Paid a Scammer
Scammers will often ask you to pay in a way that makes it hard for you to get your money back. Don’t pay someone who insists that you can only pay with a gift card, cryptocurrency, a payment app, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram. It’s a scam.
If you paid someone one of these ways, act quickly to report it to the company or bank behind the gift card, cryptocurrency, payment app, or wire transfer service. Depending on how you paid, you might be able to get your money back. But no matter how you paid, it’s worth asking.
If you feel you may be a victim of a scammer, call Service 1st at 800.562.6049. We’re here to help.
Note: Service 1st WILL NOT reach out asking for your account information, username or password. And we will never ask you to purchase gift cards to pay a bill. If you receive a call, text or email from Service 1st to share your information or do this, DO NOT RESPOND! Instead, call our Contact Center at 800.562.6049, send us a secure message via your Service 1st digital banking account or visit any of our offices.
Source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams#:~:text=fake%20refund%20scam.-,Report%20Phone%20Scams,blocking%20and%20call%2Dlabeling%20solutions.
How To Stop Calls from Scammers
Hang up
Even if it’s not a scammer calling, when a company is calling you illegally, it’s not a company you want to do business with. When you get a robocall, don't press any numbers to let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list. Instead, it might lead to more robocalls.
Consider call blocking or call labeling
Scammers don’t care if you’re on the National Do Not Call Registry. That’s why call blocking is your best defense against unwanted calls. Which type of call-blocking or call-labeling technology you use will depend on the phone — whether it’s a cell phone, a traditional landline, or a home phone that makes calls over the internet (VoIP). See what services your phone carrier offers and look online for expert reviews. For cell phones, also check out the reviews for different call-blocking apps in your app store. Learn more about blocking unwanted calls.
Don’t trust your caller ID
Scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID. That’s called spoofing. So even if it looks like a government agency like the Social Security Administration calling, or it is a local number, or even if the caller ID says the call is from Service 1st, it could be a scammer calling from anywhere in the world.
Learn more about unwanted calls and what to do about them at ftc.gov/calls.
What To Do If You Already Paid a Scammer
Scammers will often ask you to pay in a way that makes it hard for you to get your money back. Don’t pay someone who insists that you can only pay with a gift card, cryptocurrency, a payment app, or a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram. It’s a scam.
If you paid someone one of these ways, act quickly to report it to the company or bank behind the gift card, cryptocurrency, payment app, or wire transfer service. Depending on how you paid, you might be able to get your money back. But no matter how you paid, it’s worth asking.
If you feel you may be a victim of a scammer, call Service 1st at 800.562.6049. We’re here to help.
Note: Service 1st WILL NOT reach out asking for your account information, username or password. And we will never ask you to purchase gift cards to pay a bill. If you receive a call, text or email from Service 1st to share your information or do this, DO NOT RESPOND! Instead, call our Contact Center at 800.562.6049, send us a secure message via your Service 1st digital banking account or visit any of our offices.
Source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/phone-scams#:~:text=fake%20refund%20scam.-,Report%20Phone%20Scams,blocking%20and%20call%2Dlabeling%20solutions.
