Happy State Bank Warning Customers Of Phishing Scam In Amarillo

I'm been a happy Happy State Bank account holder for years.  They are always communicating with me.  And they do it one way every time.  They recently sent me an email to check my messages in my online account.  When I did they let me know about a phishing scam making the rounds locally.

Phishing entails getting people to divulge private information to give the phishermen access to your money.  They can be quite devious and ingenious.

There is a new phishing scam making the rounds locally.  It has a novel approach.  The scam starts with you getting a text message claiming your card has been deactivated.  The text includes a local number to call and reactivate your account.  If you call the number and give them your information they will have access to your funds.

Happy State Bank is especially vigilant in this regard.  They ask you to choose your notification options.  If you get a notification from them in a manner you didn't request, that is a major tip-off.  Additionally any message I've ever gotten from Happy State was to log in to my account and check for a message - never what the message is, just that I need to check for one.  That way I can always trust the source.

This is almost a blessing in that it provides a great example of how to sniff out a phishing attack before you take the bait.

From Happy State Bank:

PLEASE BE AWARE OF A TEXTING SCAM USING LOCAL PHONE NUMBER that is being sent as a text message to Happy State Bank customers claiming to be from Happy State Bank. The text says "HAPPY STATE BANK ALERT. Your CARD has been DEACTIVATED. Please call 806-576-XXXX." (We intentionally are not repeating the full phone number here) Once the phone number is called, a recorded voice will ask you to enter in your full 16-digit card number and your PIN. DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER AND DO NOT ENTER ANY INFORMATION. We will NEVER send you a text message nor an email to notify our customers that their card has been deactivated and we will never ask for your 16-digit card number and your PIN number to reactivate your card! IF YOU DID CALL THIS NUMBER AND ENTERED ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL US AT 1-866-958-2867 TO HAVE YOUR CARD TURNED OFF IMMEDIATELY.