'Phishing' expeditions try to steal bank account numbers

Residents of the Flathead Valley and beyond have been targeted by another "phishing" telephone scam.

The latest scam involved Mountain West Bank, although there is no indication that any of the bank's database was compromised by the scam.

Mountain West has offices in Kalispell, Whitefish, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula and Bozeman.

Anyone targeted by this or other scams is urged not to provide any information and to contact the institution immediately.

Early reports of the current phishing scam started coming in on Sunday, with more reported on Monday.

An Alltel cell-phone customer, who has no account with the bank, reported receiving a text message from 877-364-3811@izr.com, purportedly representing Mountain West Bank. The message read: "Please call us immediately at 1-877-364-3811 regarding recent restrictions placed on your account. Thank you."

A call to that number resulted in a recording repeating that a restriction has been placed on the account and asking the caller to enter his or her account number.

A similar message was sent out last Wednesday claiming to be from Montana Credit Union, the Western News in Libby reported. That message claimed the recipient's bank card or personal identification number had been deactivated and supplied a Montana phone number to call to re-activate the card.

Other messages also reportedly were e-mailed to Flathead residents.

When contacted Monday morning, Brad Buls, Mountain West vice president and commercial loan officer, said the bank's corporate office already had reported the incidents to the FBI.

"We're getting lots of calls from everywhere," Buls said. "We even got calls from West Virginia. It's not just our customer base - it's phishing."

Phishing is a fradulent attempt to obtain personal identification or financial information, with the phisher using computer contacts, cell-phone text messages or phone voice messages to pose as a legitimate institution, social networking site or other entity. The messages may ask for account numbers, ATM personal identification numbers, Internet log-ins or passwords.

The information then is used to steal your identity or gain access to your bank or credit card accounts.

"The bottom line is do not give out your personal information to anyone unknown to you," Mountain West Bank cautioned in a prepared statement Monday.

The bank offered these tips on protecting against fraud and theft:

n Never give information to someone unknown to you. If you are asked for information, contact your bank immediately.

n Change your ATM PIN often. Monthly is suggested.

n Change your Internet banking passwords often. Monthly is suggested.

n Shred any documents that have your Social Security number or any account numbers on them.

n Use caution when mailing. Mailbox theft is common. Consider using a secure Internet bill-paying service. It is safer than mailing a check (which lists your name, address and account number) with a statement listing your account number.

n Always be cautious. Never give out your personal information unless you are certain of who you are giving it to and why they need it.

n Always call your bank if you are suspicious; let the bank help protect your information.

Mountain West Bank does not send e-mails or cell phone text messages asking for personal information.

"The safety net is broken down if customers give their personal information to an unauthorized person or group," the statement continued. "No reputable financial institution will call or e-mail you asking for your bank codes and numbers."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com