Why is Bank Michigan calling me?

Chances are fair that we didn’t.  This is a process called number spoofing or caller ID spoofing.  Scammers will use one of several methods to appear like they are calling from a business or even from someone’s personal phone number.

Since it has been reported to us that our phone numbers have been used recently in this fashion, we felt it necessary to post an alert about it.

What steps are being taken?

The bad news is that it is completely out of control of Bank Michigan.  The spoofing is NOT due to a security issue on our end.  The good news is that the government and phone carriers are working together to eventually put an end to this sort of misuse.

What can I do to mitigate this?

There are a few things that can help protect you from spoofed calling.

• Put your number on the “do not call” registry (https://www.donotcall.gov/)
• Install a spam blocking app on your phone
• If you ever change your phone number, request an unused number
• Ask your phone carrier if they use spam blocking technologies
• Never give out personal or financial information to anyone that calls you

Finally, if you have been called by what you believe is a spoofed number, please report it to the FTC using this link https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.