Fraud Awareness 101

It is surprisingly easy, and it is called "spoofing". Within a call, there is a field that indicates the source number, i.e., who is making the call. Anyone can modify this source number with freely available hardware and software. This ability to alter the source number means that someone knows our phone number and can use it to act as a legitimate Nicolet employee. It is natural that you would trust a phone call from someone at Nicolet Bank. This trust is what the fraudulent callers are using to get information from you.
 
So, can someone alter the source number and make a call that appears to be from Nicolet? Yes.
Are people currently making calls, pretending to be from Nicolet, to commit fraud? Yes.
Is there anything you can do to recognize that the call may be fraud? YES!
The very first thing you should do when receiving this phone call is to PAUSE. Fraudsters work on fear and emotion. They want you to rush, which leaves you little time to think about what they are asking. Always pause and think. After you pause, ask yourself a few questions:

• Can Nicolet's legitimate phone number be used by someone who doesn’t work at Nicolet? Yes. Don't trust the caller just because the caller ID says Nicolet Bank.
• Would Nicolet ever rush you to action? No.
• Would Nicolet ever ask you for usernames, passwords, PINs, or other like information? No.

If you suspect fraud or you feel unsure about the conversation, please hang up and call your banker or Nicolet's general phone number, which is 800-369-0226. This action will terminate the fraudsters’ attempt to spoof Nicolet. Never give out a username or password. Never click a link that someone may send you via text and log in.

When in doubt,

It’s not safe to share your text verification code with anyone even if they seem trustworthy.

These codes are like a one-time key to your account. If someone else gets it, they could log in as you, change your settings, or even lock you out. Scammers often try to trick people into sharing these codes by pretending to be your bank, a friend, company, or support agent.

If someone asks for your code, that’s a red flag. Keep it private, just like your password.

No. Nicolet will never ask for your online banking username or password—whether by phone, email, text, or in person. If someone claiming to represent Nicolet requests this information, it is likely a fraud attempt. Never share your username or password.  If you suspect fraud or feel uncertain about the conversation, hang up immediately and call your banker or Nicolet’s general phone number at 800-369-0226. Protecting your login credentials is essential to keeping your accounts secure.

Good question.  We don’t know either because there is NO Jesse Rivers who works at Nicolet Bank.  The use of a fake name by a fraudster is the latest scam attempt that we’ve seen: Impersonation of a Nicolet employee.

Impersonation scams are on the rise for one reason: they are particularly effective.  The fraudster can gain credibility quickly because the person on the other end of the phone will have no idea that Jesse Rivers isn’t a Nicolet employee.  Fraudsters have also become very astute at understanding the language they need to use to trick people.  In short, the fraudsters are good at what they do.

Here’s how we can work together to stop an Impersonation scam:

• If someone calls you claiming to be from the Nicolet Bank Fraud team – Pause. Don’t automatically believe them. 
• Even if the call came in from a Nicolet National Bank phone number – Pause. Remember that phone numbers can be spoofed.
• Hang up and call Nicolet’s 800 number or any Nicolet phone number that is listed on Google or any search engine.  While someone can spoof our phone numbers for an outbound call, they can’t intercept inbound calls.
• If someone asks online banking questions like username or password, hang up.
• If someone asks for ACH or wire transfer login information, hang up.
• If someone asks to verify debit card information or personal identifying information, hang up.

Always remember to Pause and think.  Nicolet wouldn’t ask for login information; we would never rush you to make a decision; we would not mind if you called us back on our 800 number or stopped into your local branch.