Suffolk police renewed on Monday their warning that a phone scam is sweeping the area, this time invoking JP Morgan Chase. 
Identity Theft Unit detectives say the scam is designed to trick potential victims into revealing their debit card number and personal identification number (PIN). Suffolk residents have reported receiving text or voice messages reporting their debit card number has been closed and to contact the credit union at 585-331-8318 to reactivate the account. The message then instructs people to provide their account number and PIN.
On Friday, a similar warning went out for credit union customers who were scammed into calling 845-765-9464.
The text messages to customers’ cell phones and landlines appear to be a randomized by the fraudsters who name a credit union in their message, hoping to contact a customer who may be deceived. If a resident has been contacted in this manner and provided their account information they should contact their financial institution immediately, police said in a statement.
Investigators also put out a reminder that no financial institution contacts customers by mail, phone or internet to request account information. “Should someone contact you by mail, telephone or e-mail stating they represent your financial institution, and inquire about your bank, credit card or loan accounts, do not provide your information,” the statement said.
Contact your financial institution directly to check if there was a legitimate inquiry about your account. Also, the caller ID display on phones used to identify the caller can’t be trusted either because that display information can be “spoofed,” or changed to display a fake number or identifier, police said.
