SECURITY CENTER

• Attackers will use a service to make their caller ID appear to be from Associated Bank. They are trying to establish credibility and trust.
• They will try to ask you for identifying information, passwords, usernames and may even ask you to read a text code they send to you.
• The goal for this attack is to take over your financial accounts—and possibly your email account—to compromise other people you know by contacting them while impersonating you.
• If you're not sure the validity of the call, you can always ask to call them back. You can then call the official customer service line listed on the back of your card or on our website.
• If you do not trust the caller, immediately hang up the phone without giving them any information. If you gave them any information, immediately call customer service to report the incident.

• This is a scam people will run on social media marketplaces such as Craigslist, Facebook, LetGo, etc. It is a form of check fraud that uses you to cash checks.
• The scammer will agree to purchase an item from you and ask to pay by check through the mail. The check will be for an amount higher than the asking price of the item.
• They will claim it was a mistake and direct you to cash the check, keep what the item is worth and send the rest of the money back with the item. This is always a fraudulent check that will be charged back against your account.
• The best way to avoid this scam is to deal with people directly—and only with cash. You can also explore using other personal sale sites that offer forms of consumer and seller protections.

• In this scenario, a scammer will impersonate a real person, gaining the trust of someone through dating or social media sites and ultimately convincing that person to send them money.
• These scammers will commonly impersonate military personnel. However, anyone that is active on social media can be impersonated because social media accounts offer attackers information to make their profile credible.
• After building a relationship with someone anonymously through a dating or social media site, they will usually claim there is an emergency or tragedy that is preventing them from moving forward with the relationship.
• Wire transfer is the preferred delivery method for these types of scams because the person may be international, and the money is almost impossible to recover once sent this way.
• Understanding how to spot a fake account is important for avoiding this type of scam. Never send money to someone that you do not explicitly trust.

• With the heightened focus around global incidents and other economic crises, scammers are leveraging all forms of communication to take advantage of people’s anxiety and uncertainty. 
• Fraudsters will focus on emails and text messages with themes around important information regarding economic situations enticing you to provide or change payment details. 
• Economic impact payment-themed scams include updating your payment information to receive your payment, updating your tax information, and paying a fee to release your payment.
• Check out the Resource Center page for more information on how to protect yourself from these and other frauds and scams.

If you receive a suspicious email that appears to be from Associated Bank asking you to share confidential information, or which contains a link that does not lead to an Associated Bank web page, .gov web page or another trusted site, it is not a legitimate message. If in doubt, you may call us to validate the message.

If you receive a text message that claims to be from Associated Bank or another institution urging you to take immediate action by clicking on a link or providing confidential information it is not a legitimate communication. Do not respond to the communication or follow any instructions included. 

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from Associated Bank or another institution such as the IRS that asks for confidential information including login credentials, authentication codes, or account information, this is not a legitimate phone call. Scammers will spoof businesses with fake caller IDs and may use current global events or crises as a reason for these calls. Do not share any information with the caller and hang up.

Beware of fraudulent websites and apps designed to trick individuals into sharing personal information. Always double-check the URL to ensure that it's legitimate. Fraudulent websites often use similar URLs to reputable ones, but with slight variations that can be easily overlooked. Never enter sensitive personal information in a site that isn’t trusted.