MORE SCAM PHONE CALLS ARE TARGETING EMPIRE BANK CUSTOMERS, OTHERS IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI, ATTORNEY GENERAL NIXON WARNS

The Missouri Attorney General issued the following news release:

Attorney General Jay Nixon said his office's Consumer Protection Division has taken dozens of calls and e-mails this week from residents of the Springfield area who are receiving phone calls from people claiming to be with Empire Bank but who, in reality, are trying to steal bank account and other financial information. Nixon issued a similar warning yesterday for mid-Missouri after consumers contacted his office about scam calls claiming to be from Central Bank.

The consumers who have contacted the Attorney General's Office report that the callers directed them to call another telephone number to resolve an urgent issue with the bank. Consumers who call that number are connected to an automated message that directs them to use the telephone keypad to enter sensitive financial information, such as a credit card number or bank account number.

"So far, the good news is that none of the consumers who contacted my office today have provided any of the information that these thieves are trying to get," Nixon said. "Mid-Missourians have heard the warnings from the Attorney General's Office and Empire Bank numerous times in the past few months, and fortunately, they seem to be very wary when they receive these calls, e-mails or text messages. But there may be others who are providing the information that the scam artists are looking for because the message they receive looks or sounds official.

"The message bears repeating: never give out this kind of information to anyone unless you initiate the contact," Nixon said. "These thieves try to convince you it is both urgent and necessary for you to give them those numbers. Don't do it."

Nixon says any consumer who gets an e-mail, phone call or text message that appears to be from their financial institution should assume it's a scam. Instead, he says they should call the bank's legitimate phone number and report the contact.

Missourians should never divulge their personal information to anyone who contacts them. They should only give out that data when they initiate the contact. Consumers can report phishing or other fraud at Nixon's Web site, ago.mo.gov, or his Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.

* Take the "Identity Theft" online quiz: http://ago.mo.gov/cgi-bin/ConsumerCorner/quizzes/identitytheft.cgi

* Take the "Internet Fraud" online quiz: http://ago.mo.gov/cgi-bin/ConsumerCorner/quizzes/Internet-Fraud.cgi.