Banking Scam

I recently received a bank statement from Customers Bank. I do not have an account with that bank. I looked it up on Google, and it appears to be a legitimate bank in Pennsylvania. I also googled the phone number on the statement and it also seems to be registered to that bank. There is no money showing as being on deposit in this "account".
Today I received a second monthly statement, again with a zero balance, with the notation "Account Closed" on it.
I originally thought this was some creative way of duping me into opening an account with them or advertising.
Has anyone else received anything from this bank?
What should I do?

Lonesome Dove Lonesome Dove
Jan '23

Did you call them?

Illo
Jan '23

I get all sorts of phony things - including from banks I have never used.......l think this should be explored --- I'd also look at your credit rating and see if there has been any action on it - has this bank checked on you --- getting actual statements raises too many questions

4catmom 4catmom
Jan '23

Definitely more of an Identity Theft scam, than a Marketing Scam.

Everyone should check their credit (at least annually ...its also Free: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action)

I know a small number of family members who had small, short Identity Thefts of a few hundreds or couple thousands through Banks, Phone Cos, and Credit Cards - that quickly close - and don't leave them (victims) being notified, nor owing them a dime (since almost all are found fraudulent ...so no action is needed)

However, the only problem is THOSE mini thefts DO APPEAR on your credit report & DO EFFECT your CREDIT SCORE.

That's when my family members find the cases, leaving them to report, call, or write those charges are frauds, not yours - before they are taken off ...bring your Credit Score back up ...or clear your Credit Reports without those "hit & run" mini Identity Thefts.

*As a matter to prevent future identity thefts or be a real victim of a worse case, in the same call, you can ask the Credit Bureau to Lock your Credit.

~The problem or inconvenience with that is when you go by your way to get a store card (for a quick discount), renew your car lease, (anything based to check your credit), you need to call those Bureaus again to UNLOCK the lock to get the credit or card you usually get without the hassle ...extra step to protect your own Identity...nowadays ;>(

aol123@aol.com aol123@aol.com
Jan '23

Well, I just spent a couple hours on the phone getting my Credit Reports and putting a Fraud Alert on my accounts. I called Customers Bank. I realized I had received a statement from Barclays also, so I called them too. Both told me that they had already detected that these activities were fraud and had closed the accounts.
I usually do check my free credit reports every year, but hadn't done so yet this year.
What a royal pain in the you-know-what.

Lonesome Dove Lonesome Dove
Jan '23

You can go to a website called Chase Credit Journey and check on all your cards and credit rating at anytime at no cost . Once you set up a username and password it's easy peasy .

https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/free-credit-score

97XBAM 97XBAM
Jan '23

Glad you filed a claim. This happened to me years ago with a BoA account. It's identity theft and will often lead to bounced checks/loans in your name. It's also not always picked up by credit monitoring services. You have to check with one of the checking account reporting companies. I think I used TeleCheck Services but am not 100% sure.

You may want to go with a freeze vs. fraud alert at least initially until you can monitor everything. Years later I still have a freeze in place and it's only a pain if you need a new credit card, loan or bank account.

Another tip is to contact the IRS and tell them you are a victim of identity theft. They will flag your account and mail you a PIN that only you can use to file your taxes. Tax identify theft is huge and this will prevent someone from filing fake taxes in your name, getting a refund, and leaving you with a headache. I believe they require a police report and you should file one since you'll likely need the documentation down the road....

It's a real pain but it sounds like it was caught early.


I am extremely surprised that no one has mentioned the simplest,easiest,cheapest (0$) way to prevent the problems listed above and avoid the hassles recommended to solve this issue. That one simple action is to put a credit freeze on your account with all 3 credit rating agencies. Problem solved.

Hammer Hammer
Jan '23

P.S. AOL123 did recommend to do the same.

Hammer Hammer
Jan '23

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