The most dangerous hoaxes are the ones that seem the most realistic.
Like this one.
Bank of Lancaster County just got taken over by PNC Bank, so it's plausible that some problems could arise in the transition, such as problems with credit or debit cards.
That's what the call on your cell phone suggests.
But don't fall for it. It's the latest "phishing" scam, looking to trick you into disclosing your personal financial information by pretending there's a "problem."
The scheme is widespread in territories where Bank of Lancaster County and its sister banks operated. The banks became part of PNC effective Monday.
"It is a scam," said PNC spokesman Ed Kozmor today. "We would never call and say you need to provide the particulars we already have.
"If someone calls, looking for that information, the best thing to do is not give it and hang up," said Kozmor.
This "phishing" scheme, which was launched about two weeks ago but has flooded the county just this week, is distinctive in several ways.
First, the calls are coming to people's cell phones. Second, the voices on the calls are synthesized, monotone voices.
But otherwise, the scheme is typical, pretending there's a problem that requires your personal financial information to be fixed.
In this case, the synthesized voice claims he's calling from Bank of Lancaster County for "security reasons" and your "card" (the voice doesn't specify whether it's a debit or credit card) needs to be reactivated.
Conveniently, the synthesized voice provides a phone number for you to call.
If you call that number, you get connected to another automated system, which asks for your card number, the card's expiration date and your PIN (personal identification number).
The scheme claims that if this process is not followed, the card will no longer work.
One recipient of the phishing calls Tuesday was city artist Gail Gray.
"It was really scary," she said today. "I was tempted to call that number. I'm glad I didn't...I could see a lot of people thinking it was something legitimate."
Gray and her husband, Mayor Rick Gray, are Bank of Lancaster County customers. So they are in the process of converting their accounts to PNC accounts, which made the call appear "credible."
But Gray called her husband, who recognized the call as a scam and told her not to respond to it.
Kozmor, the PNC spokesman, noted that financial institutions request a person's financial information by letter or in person, never via phone or e-mail.
Staff writer Tim Mekeel can be reached at tmekeel@LNPnews.com or 481-6030.
