Bank "phishing" scam targeting North Mississippians | Crime

(WMC-TV) - Doesn't matter that you're not a BancorpSouth customer.

Doesn't matter that neither BancorpSouth nor any other bank would ever call or text you for the very account information they issued you in the first place.

That still hasn't stopped someone -- or some group -- from using the name of BancorpSouth to attempt to swindle North Mississippians out of their personal information.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood warned that state residents have been receiving calls on either their home phones or their cell phones. The calls, live or automated, alert them that "there is a problem with their BancorpSouth card."

Then the bait:  it asks consumers to either call or text a number or visit a website to leave their 16-digit card number so that "bank officials" can verify their information.

"So-called bank officials do not need to ask you to verify your bank account information. They already have it," said Hood. "The key point is to never, ever give your personal identifying information over the phone to someone whose identity you cannot verify."

Hood said BancorpSouth officials are working to locate and shut down impostor sites and numbers connected to the scam.

Hood asked that if you think you or someone you know has fallen victim to this scam, immediately contact the Mississippi Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-281-4418.

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