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Don’t Fall for Spoofing Scams

Get practical tips to recognize and report spoofing attempts before scammers get in

Recently, several financial institutions—including North American Banking Company—have seen an increase in spoofing attempts, where fraudsters contact customers pretending to be from their bank, SHAZAM (our debit card fraud detection partner), or another trusted source. While it’s normal for SHAZAM to contact our customers about suspicious card transactions via text or phone call, scammers are now imitating these legitimate messages to trick people into sharing personal or financial information.

What is Spoofing?

Spoofing is when fraudsters fake caller ID or text message information to make it appear that they’re contacting you from a trusted source—like North American Banking Company or SHAZAM. Their goal is to gain your trust and convince you to reveal personal details, access your accounts, or install harmful software.

Spoofing is often followed by vishing (voice phishing), where the scammer calls and pressures you into giving up sensitive information such as online banking credentials or debit card numbers.

How SHAZAM Contacts Our Customers

To help you distinguish real communications from fraudulent ones, here’s how SHAZAM legitimately interacts with our customers:

  • SHAZAM will always send a text message first if suspicious debit card activity is detected.
  • If you don’t respond to the text, SHAZAM may follow up with a phone call.
  • SHAZAM will never ask for your full debit card number, PIN, CVV, expiration date, or online banking login.
  • You will only be asked to confirm whether a specific transaction is valid.
  • Phone calls from SHAZAM may come from various numbers—this is intentional and part of their fraud prevention system.
  • Any official SHAZAM emails will come from the @shazam.net domain (e.g., communication@shazam.net).

If something doesn’t feel right, hang up and call us directly.

Watch Out for the 4Us of Spoofing

Scammers rely on emotions and urgency to push people into making quick decisions. Keep the 4Us in mind when evaluating any unexpected message or call:

  1. Urgency – They want you to act fast. Example: “Your account is compromised! Click here immediately to avoid being locked out.”
  2. Unexpected – You receive a message or call you didn’t anticipate, especially from someone claiming to be your bank.
  3. Unnerving – The language makes you feel anxious or threatened, like saying your account will be closed.
  4. Under No Circumstance – You should never share your full debit card number, PIN, CVV, expiration date, Social Security number, or online banking credentials.

What You Should Do

If you receive a message or call that doesn’t feel right.

  • Don’t click on links or respond to suspicious messages.
  • Don’t provide personal or financial information, especially if you didn’t initiate the contact.
  • Call us directly at North American Banking Company using the number on the back of your debit card or on our website.
  • Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.

At North American Banking Company, we’re committed to keeping your accounts safe and your information secure. If you ever have questions about a message or call you’ve received, contact us directly.