Talmer Bank issues scam alert to public

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Talmer Bank and Trust is warning the public about an ongoing phone scam.

The Troy, Mich.-based bank issued a fraud-protection alert to the public Thursday.

“This is a complete fraud,” said Vince Szymborski, managing director of Talmer Bank. The bank was made aware of the scam Wednesday, he said.

Customers and some noncustomers are receiving automated telephone calls regarding their debit cards.

The notification informs the customer that the card is locked and advises “press 1” to continue to the security department.

The call sounds like a recording from a bank call-center representative. Calls appear to be going primarily to cellphone numbers.

Szymborski said it’s “not the first time” that this scam has happened, and law enforcement has been notified of the situation.

The company said it values customers’ financial privacy and states that it would never contact them in this manner and ask for a card number, PIN or security code.

Talmer customers who are victims of the scam should call 800-456-1500.

Talmer Bank and Trust is the sixth-largest bank in the Youngstown area.