Western State Bank reminds community to protect personal information

(Article courtesy of Western State Bank Director of Public Relations, Sarah Waller)

In order to protect their customers and the community at large, Western State Bank is urging the community to practice caution when disclosing personal information such as social security numbers and account numbers over the phone or by email. Though banks may call customers to request other types of information, it is not standard practice to request account numbers or social security numbers over the phone. To those who receive such phone calls, the bank suggests hanging up the phone and calling their listed phone number or stopping by in person to verify that the employee who called was indeed from the bank.

In addition, as it’s tax season, Western State Bank reminds the community that the IRS does not request payments or personal information by phone, either. The IRS will reach out by mail before ever contacting a person via phone.

Western State Bank recommends that those who suspect they may have been victims of a scam report the scam to their financial institutions and to the authorities as soon as possible.

For more information, contact Western State Bank President Tyler Whitham at twhitham@wsbks.com or call 620-275-4128.