Scammers targeting bank customers using payment apps

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security is warning about more scams involving peer-to-peer payment services.

According to the agency, the scams start with a phone call, text or email purportedly coming from the victim’s bank. The scammer will warn you about a non-existent problem with your bank account and try to get your personal bank account information, or lead you to pay them through a service such as Venmo, Paypal or Google Pay.

The state warns that signs you are dealing with a scammer include their insistence that immediate payment using their instructions is the only way to fix the problem. They can be pushy or aggressive and if the scam attempt is in a written form, it could include grammatical or spelling errors.

If you are contacted concerning a bank error, do not respond directly to the message or phone call. Do not give out account information over the phone or online. Instead look up your bank’s contact information yourself, and contact the bank directly.