Consumer Alerts

Protect your identity and guard your funds. 

Having your identity stolen can cost you years of hardship and ruin your financial reputation. We’ll show you how to keep your money and your identity safe.

If you suspect your account has been breached, contact us right away.

Contact Us

Online Employment Scams

• Scammers know that finding a job can be a challenge. They advertise in the same places that legitimate employers and job placement companies advertise.  The Federal Trade Commission has published awareness information on their website (www.consumer.ftc.gov/jobs) that can help protect you from becoming a victim to these scams. Be cyber savvy and know the red flags! 

Phishing Scams

• “Phishing” is the term used to describe e-mail and telephone scams designed to get you to reveal your personal information to unauthorized persons. “Pharming” is a technique that some phishing scammers use in which they direct you to a fraudulent website to try to obtain personal information from you. Phishing e-mails can look very convincing and pharming websites may look like the real thing, but if you are suspicious, call us at (225) 387-0011. Do not reply, click or enter any information. We may ask you to forward the e-mail to us so that we can investigate the matter.
• b1BANK will never send you an email asking for your account information.
• b1BANK will never call you and ask you to provide your personal account information.
• Do not respond to any emails requesting your personal information.
• Never reveal a PIN number or other bank password to an unsolicited email or caller.
• Never disclose identifying information to an unsolicited email or phone call. This includes your social security number and information like your mother’s maiden name, as well as your dredit and debit card numbers.
• Review your bank statement each month to check for unauthorized activity.

Vishing Scams

• “Vishing”, or Voice Phishing, is the latest in financial fraud activity. In this scam, you will receive an email warning that miscount has occurred with one of your accounts. Instead of asking you to click on link that takes you to their phony website, they provide you with a phone number to call. Once you dial the number, an automated voice requests you to provide your account number so that your information may be accessed and someone can assist you. Because many numbers we now call ask for this same information before we speak to representative, this does not seem suspicious. But once you have provided your account number and the other information they request (like your phone number, zip code, PIN, etc.), the scammer now has enough information about you to make fraudulent purchases with your account. To prevent this from happening to you: 
• Do not respond to an email provided phone number.
• Look up the phone number yourself
• Be aware this scam could also happen via telephone message left on your answering machine.

Protect Your Credit

• Your credit report contains information that affects whether you can get a loan and what interest rate you will receive on a loan. Many employers now check credit reports before making hiring decisions, too. A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you have been sued, arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy.
• The Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) gives you the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These three agencies have set-up one centralized location to get your free annual credit report. To order, you may call toll free 1-877-322-8228, or visit the only authorized website of annualreport.com, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form that you can receive by writing to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348.
• Be aware that there are imposter websites on the internet and fraudulent telemarketers claiming to be from annualcreditreport.com. You may also receive a scam email or computer pop-up ad. So it is important that you do not give out any personal information from anyone soliciting you. A rule of thumb would be if you did not generate the request, do not complete the form or answer any questions on the phone. To report a possible email scam, forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
• It is important that you check your credit report every 12 months to review the activity that has been reported on you. You’ll want to make sure that all of the information is accurate and up to date. This will be helpful when you apply for a new loan as well as help you guard against identity theft. If you notice any incorrect information on your credit report or find a listing for a credit card, utility, or loan that you do not have, you will need to contact that particular reporting agency.

Don’t fall victim to a check scam

• Don’t fall victim to a check scam. Click here for important information.