The Traverse City Police Department are investigating an online bank scan targeting Northwestern Bank customers.
By Melissa Smith
Monday, June 16, 2008 at 3:19 p.m.
Read more: Local, Community, Crime
TRAVERSE CITY -- It's an online bank scam that could potentially drain your bank accounts. And it's something that the Traverse City Police Department is investigating after Northwestern Bank notified them last Friday that customers were receiving emails posing as the bank.
"A customer had contacted them referencing an email they received requesting they go to a site which was reported to be Northwestern Bank's online site, when in fact the link that have been emailed was to a fictitious site," says Traverse City Police Department Captain Brian Heffner.
Captain Heffner says when the person went to the made up site they were asked a series of questions about their bank account and identification and that's when they contacted Northwestern.
"Our detectives were successful Friday evening in getting with the web company that hosted the fictitious website and they have since shut that website down. What we're trying to determine is if anybody in fact did use the website and is seeing any withdrawals from their account," says Captain Heffner.
Captain Heffner says at this time the police department does not know how customers of Northwestern were contacted by the false bank email.
"We're trying to determine if it was just the customers of Northwestern Savings or if it was just the customers that realized it was a scam and contacted police," says Captain Heffner.
But the captain wants to assure bank customers that he he does not think northwestern bank's security was breeched in anyway.
"We don't believe that anyone has breeched Northwest Savings account info at all. We think that this was simply sent out to a wide range of people hoping that they perpetrator would hit on someone who was with Northwestern Savings."
Captain Heffner also says that none of the banks in northern Michigan will contact customers over the internet for personal information.
Captain Heffner advises that if you feel someone is trying to contact you from your bank through the internet, you should go down to your branch and talk to someone directly or call the bank.
