PHONE_SCAM(CSi) Gate City Bank is urging the public to be on guard against phone scams.

The phishing scams target local phone numbers, and Gate City Bank has received reports of fraudulent phone calls being made in an attempt to obtain consumers’ credit or debit card information.

The calls can sound convincing as the caller falsely claims to be from a legitimate business, and he or she typically states that sensitive information is needed to unfreeze or unlock a credit or debit card.

It has been  reported to the North Dakota Attorney General’s office, and Gate City Bank is one of multiple bank names being used in this scam.

Gate City Bank,  Executive Vice President and Director of Operations,  Maureen Jelinek said this is not how any legitimate bank or business functions.

She says, “Gate City Bank will never call a customer asking for confidential information. If you receive an unsolicited call telling you to provide sensitive information, that should be a red flag.”

Gate City Bank offers tips on how people can avoid falling victim to a scam:

* Do not respond to phone calls, emails, faxes or text messages warning you of dire consequences if you don’t provide sensitive information immediately.

* Do not provide personal information such as account numbers, debit or credit card numbers or passwords in response to an unsolicited phone call, email, fax or text message no matter how legitimate it seems.

* Do contact your bank immediately if you have responded to what you believe may have been a scam.

* Do contact Gate City Bank at your local phone banking number if you are unsure about the legitimacy of any phone calls.

* Do review your account transactions regularly and contact your bank if you find any unauthorized transactions.

Jelinek added,“We hope these tips will help protect our customers and the public from becoming the victims of phishing scams,” Jelinek said.