With the holiday season soon approaching, the Watertown Police Department wants to advise
you to protect yourself from scammers posing as legitimate organizations or financial
institutions.

Recently, the WPD has taken reports of scammers posing as a bank representative calling to
inform you of a problem with your bank card. They request your bank card information and tell
you that they can fix the issue over the phone. Their main purpose is to use the information you
give them to make transactions. These cases are rarely able to be solved as they are often
operating from a foreign country.

When you receive a call requesting personal information, this is the time to become suspicious.
Financial institutions typically will not ask for personal account information during a phone
call that they made to you. An easy way to verify if the request for information is trusted is to
call the institution back at a phone number that is publicly listed on the internet or business
mailings.

If you have any concerns or questions, please call the police department at 605-882-6210.