By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

With recent news of the phone scam using the name of Bank of Pontiac, we are bringing you information about signs that a call is either legitimate or fraudulent.

Bob Meiner, operations officer for Bank of Pontiac, explains.

“First, we would identify ourselves, both our name and the bank name. Our caller ID would be a legitimate, full number. We’d offer the customer the opportunity to call us back before proceeding if they were skeptical. We may ask a day of last deposit to identify them or other transaction-type information,” Meiner said. “We would never ask for date of birth, social security number, credit or debit card information, full card numbers or pin numbers. Those kind of things are definite red flags and should never be answered.”

Meiner also said Bank of Pontiac uses automated calls only through its fraud department and will only request transaction verification. Most banks use similar security practices, but it’s good to contact your own personal financial institution with any questions.