By by Lee Weyhrich
A new scam is rapidly spreading through Atmore and the surrounding area. "A lot of our customers are being called by people purporting to be us," said the executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer of The First National Bank of Atmore, Dale Hurst.
Bank customers are getting phone calls from people who claim to be checking the accuracy of the bank's records. The perpetrators ask for personal information such as Social Security Numbers and bank account numbers. A toll free number is then given to the customer in case they have any questions.
"We want to let people know that no bank will ever call and ask them for their account information or Social Security Number," Hurst said. "The phone number they are given is in Maine," he said.
Banks already have personal information on file and therefore will not need to ask. Personal information should never be given to a stranger, Hurst said.
Several people have called to check on the validity of these calls. Hurst worries about the people who have not, "We've been getting calls for a couple of weeks. No one has complained about funds being taken," Hurst said. However that does not mean that funds have not been taken without being discovered.
"We have alerts on the accounts of people who have called us," Hurst said. "We urge anyone who has received one of these calls to let us know," he added.
Though fraud is not entirely uncommon in Atmore, this is the first time anyone has ever called claiming to be an employee of The First National Bank of Atmore.