Fraud Prevention

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Fraud Prevention

Phishing

With phishing, scammers use texts and emails to trick individuals into sharing personal information. They try to obtain passwords, Social Security numbers, account numbers and more. Remember, that no financial institution will email you and ask you to share sensitive information. Learn the signs of phishing.

Malware

Short for malicious software, malware includes viruses and spyware that threatens your personal information. Remember, the best way to prevent malware is to think before you click! Curious about how you can detect, get rid of, and limit exposure to malware? Watch our video to see.

Scams

The key to avoiding scams is to not give sensitive information to anyone unless you can verify that they are who they claim to be, and that they have a legitimate need for access to your information. Find out how to avoid various types of scams - including sweepstakes scams, fake check scams and more by reading our blog.

Remember

Your bank will never send you an unsolicited request for your password, PIN or secure access code verification.

How Can You Spot Fraud?

Fraudsters will pose as legitimate businesses and convince you to share sensitive information or visit fraudulent websites via text. Ameris Bank will never initiate a text message for the purposes of obtaining your private information.

Scammers may call you and spoof the number they're calling from so that it seems realistic. The caller may claim to be from the IRS, Ameris Bank, or another financial institution, urging the need for personal information or a payment. The caller may even know small bits of information about you, making claims of high-stakes urgency like a sweepstakes or lottery win. If you question the legitimacy of any phone call, hang up and call back through an official number. Call spoofing will only work when they call you. Remember, no bank will initiate a call and request your private information.

When online fraud is initiated via fake emails it is called “phishing.” Know the five red flags of phishing.

Fake sender address: An email may look legitimate, but by scrutinizing the sender's address, you can see if there are any misspellings or an extra dash in the address. Sometimes the lower cap letter "L" is replaced with the number "1."
Generic or "phishy" salutation: If the salutation does not contain your name, consider it spam and delete it. Some emails might include an odd form of your name in the salutation, such as your email moniker (i.e. frsmith). If the email doesn't get your name right, delete it.
Urgent call-to-action: Any email that contains urgent calls to action, such as "your account will be closed" or "action required," should be considered suspect.
Request for sensitive information: Just know that any legitimate business or government agency will never request confidential information. Delete it.
Phony links: Most phishing scams are all about the links. Never click on a link unless you are 100% certain of the source. Avoid links that don't start with "https" in the URL. If there is no "s", it's probably fake.

Never give your credit or debit card account number or PINs to anyone you don't know over the computer or the phone.
Review your card statements for unfamiliar transactions.
Always know where your card is and never leave your wallet or purse unattended - even for a moment.
Shield the keypad when entering your PIN.
If you're shopping online, be sure the website you're visiting is secure (indicated by https://) before you enter your card number.
Pick PIN numbers you can easily remember that are not easily guessed (e.g. birthday dates, repetitions of a single number).
Never write your PIN number on your card, or on a slip of paper that you keep in your purse or wallet.
Get the receipts from your card transactions.

Report Suspicious Activity

Avoid becoming the victim of credit card fraud.

Lost/Stolen Debit/Credit Card:

Call 800-236-2442 to report a lost or stolen Ameris Bank Debit Card. Call 877-334-0460 and select option 2 to report a lost or stolen Ameris Bank Credit Card.

Suspicious Email/Possible Fraudulent Activity:

Contact Ameris Bank at 866-616-6020 and file a customer complaint with the FTC. If you believe your personal information has been compromised, immediately contact Ameris Bank.