FAQs
Fraud Alert Notifications
Peoples Trust Company works with our debit card Risk Offices to monitor and track card activity. If there is activity on your card that appears different from your regular transaction activity, a case may be created and you may receive a call or text confirming whether the activity is authorized.
The call or text will first come from the risk office and appear as Peoples Trust Company Fraud Center, shortly after transactions are identified as potential fraud. Peoples Trust Company will also contact you by phone if the risk office has been unsuccessful.
It has been found that text fraud alerts can more effectively mitigate fraudulent activity, allowing cardholders to receive the message and react more quickly, in order to resolve the cases.
Here is a sample text you may receive:
FreeMSG Peoples Trust Company Fraud Center 1-833-735-1892: Reply YES or NO if you used debit card ending XXXX, Macy's $125.46. STOP to opt out.
No, all messages coming from short code 37268 are free to you.
All texts will be from the short code 37268.
No. Other forms of notification such as voicemail will remain enabled. If no contact numbers are text-capable in your current record, it will use the next available form of notification.
Sure! During banking hours you may call Peoples Trust Company directly at 802.524.2196 or 800.479.2196, or call the Fraud Center any time at 833.735.1892
Yes, the Premium Texting service complies with TCPA (the Telephone Consumer Protection Act) because each text message includes verbiage indicating that the message is free, provides an opt-out option for the cardholder, and includes a call-back number.
Peoples Trust Company is committed to protecting your personal information and mitigating the risk for fraudulent transactions. Here are some things you should know when receiving or responding to a fraud alert text or call, to help keep your information secure:
- A text alert from us warning of suspicious activity on your card will NEVER include a link to be clicked. Never click on a link in a text message that is supposedly from us. A valid notification will provide information about the suspect transaction and ask the cardholder to reply to the text message with answers such as ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘help’, or ‘stop’. It will never include a link.
If you text “Help” in response to a message, you will receive a message to call the fraud center. When you call this number, you will be transferred directly to a Fiserv Call Center associate.
- A text alert from us will always be from a 5-digit number and NOT a 10-digit number resembling a phone number. Text caller IDs will be 37268.
- A phone call from our institution’s automated dialer will only include a request for your zip code, and no other personal information, unless you confirm that a transaction is fraudulent. Only then will you be transferred to an agent who will ask questions to confirm that you are the actual cardholder before going through your transactions with you. If at any point you are uncertain about questions being asked or the call itself, hang up and call us directly at 802.524.2196 or 800.479.2196.
- We will NEVER ask you for your PIN or the 3-digit security code on the back of your card. Don’t give them out to anyone, no matter what they say. Hang up and call us directly.
- Regularly check your account online to see if there are any suspicious transactions that have occurred, but especially if you are unsure about a call or text message you’ve received. If anything looks amiss, call us directly for assistance.
- If you have received a voice or a text-message from us and are unsure about responding to it, call us directly at 802.524.2196 or 800.479.2196 for assistance.
- A text alert from us warning of suspicious activity on your card will NEVER include a link to be clicked. Never click on a link in a text message that is supposedly from us. A valid notification will provide information about the suspect transaction and ask the cardholder to reply to the text message with answers such as ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘help’, or ‘stop’. It will never include a link.
