Northwest Iowans are being warned about bogus text messages that claim to be from Wells Fargo Bank, directing people to go to a phony website and enter their account information. Angie Kaipust, spokeswoman for the bank in Sioux City, says it’s a “phishing” scam.
Kaipust says, “What these fraudsters do is they send a message to a wide audience, including customers and non-customers, and they’re hoping someone’s going to click on the link and give their personal financial information.” She says there’s a course of action you should follow. “If you get a suspicious message, whether it’s a text message, a voice message or email and they’re asking for your personal financial information, delete it and don’t respond to it,” Kaipust says.
After you delete the message, she says it’s a good idea to contact your bank and ensure your account hasn’t been compromised. “Cardholders are protected by our zero liability protection,” she says. “That means you’re not liable for any unauthorized transactions that are made when you promptly report it to us.” The bank already has that information on its customers, she reminds, so they wouldn’t be asking for it.
(Reporting by Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars)