Recently, the Tri-Cities area has been experiencing an increase in the number of fraudulent transactions. These instances of fraud have been experienced at a number of local financial institutions. Our goal is to educate the members of our community about the methods used by bad actors and offer steps to protect yourself. You can also find some tips to prevent fraudulent activity in our Online Banking User Guide.
There are four main types of attempted fraud we have experienced recently. Find out more about these types of fraud and how to avoid them below.
ACH Fraud
Accounts Payable ACH fraud is on the rise. Fraudsters will send emails from an account that mimics a vendor’s email account often requesting you to provide updated payment information. Upon receiving the updated payment information, the bad actors will then use the information provided to redirect payments.
We advise you to verify the authenticity of any email you receive. Ensure that emails requesting personal information are being sent from the anticipated party and that it is not a spoofed email. If you are unsure of the source of any communication, contact the individual or organization directly before changing any payment information.
Call Spoofing
Call spoofing is a form of fraud that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Fraudsters will make calls that appear to be from clients’ phone numbers, making it difficult to identify who the call is really from. To prevent call spoofing, we suggest that you do not assume that you know the true identity of the caller with only caller ID. Take the time to connect personally with the individual and ensure that you are really talking to them before giving out any sensitive information or making payment changes.
When you call Community First Bank, we will take steps to verify your identity before processing any transactions to protect you from this or any other form of fraud.
Wire Instructions
There have been a number of reports of wire instructions being intercepted between the sender and the receiver, leading to payments being redirected to unintended recipients. We encourage anyone receiving payment instructions to call the originator directly to verify the details they received to ensure that the instructions match what was sent.
External Transfer
Exercise caution when using external transfers to pay others, as there have been cases of fraudulent activity. While the intended purpose of the product is for clients to transfer funds between their own accounts, some have fallen victim to scams where they believed they were receiving funds from a trusted source, only to have the funds ultimately returned due to fraudulent activity.
We take your security and the security of your accounts seriously, and we are committed to working with you to prevent any fraud from occurring. If you suspect any fraudulent activity or have any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us through the channels listed below.
Contact Us
You can use the Contact Us page on the Community First Bank | HFG Trust website to connect with us about a number of topics. Visit https://cfbhfg.com/contact-us/
By Phone
You can call our Electronic Banking Department directly by calling (509) 783-0955 or call one of our branches directly at the numbers listed below.
Kennewick: (509) 783-3435
Pasco: (509) 735-5020
Richland: (509) 222-2250
Connell: (509) 234-2265
By Email
Reach our Electronic Banking Department by email at ebanking@community1st.com or contact your banking officer directly.
Karah Cowan
Director of Digital Banking and Deposit Operations
