Imagine this: You get a text message from someone claiming to be from your bank’s Fraud Department, asking you to verify a potentially fraudulent purchase. The text message also asks you to call the bank at an included number.

When you call, you’re asked to verify your debit card number, security code, and expiration date. Or, maybe they ask you to send your card to a specific address or place it directly in your mailbox. Or, maybe they ask you to give them your bank username and password.

Shortly after this conversation, you notice that all the money in your account has vanished.

This scenario is based on a real customer story, and it could happen to you or your loved ones. Anyone can fall victim to a scam.

So, how does this scam work? Here are the strategies bank impersonation scammers employ to lull their targets into a false sense of security:

1. They pretend to be someone you trust
   Scammers posed as the bank’s fraud team and used official‑sounding language to make the message seem real and urgent.
2. They make the message look official
   The first text looked a lot like a real bank fraud alert, then quickly moved targets to the phone—a scammer-controlled channel.
3. They ask for private information and frame it as “verification”
   By calling sensitive requests (card number, CVV, expiration date, online banking info) routine “verification,” they made it feel like a standard security step.
4. They use real bank security steps as cover
   Scammers began a login attempt and asked for the Security Access Code the bank sent to the client. Never share these codes with anyone.

So how can you protect yourself, or your loved ones, from potential bank impersonation scams? Here are a few tips to remember:

• Never trust contact information sent in an unexpected message.
• Always contact us using the number on First Merchants official website, and double check our texting short codes to ensure a text comes from us.
• While First Merchants may need to verify your identity, we won’t ask for your username, password, or a Security Access Code.
• If someone asks you contact them urgently, and pressures you into making snap decisions, they’re not your trusted local bank.
• Turn on security and text alerts for your accounts, so you know what an official First Merchants alert looks like, and can double check any suspicious fraud claims.

If you shared private information or think you were scammed, report it immediately to your bank and to the authorities.