Outsmart the Scammers!
Be Smart. Be informed.

Anyone can be susceptible to financial scams. Fraudsters are an ever-present threat, looking to steal personal information and gain access to your money and account information.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, 47 percent of Americans experienced financial identity theft in 2020 totaling $712.4 billion.

What are money scams? Money scams take all shapes and forms. Typically, a fraudster will charm or bully you into forking over money or valuable personally identifiable information by impersonating someone you know or an institution you trust.
The scammer may pretend to be a bank representative or impersonate a tax collector – and threaten to throw you in jail unless you pay up. The fraudster may even take the guise of a charity and scam you into donating funds to a bogus organization.

Avoid Bank Scams. There are lots of types of bank scams. Fraudsters will email you from an address that looks like your bank's email address and ask for your login and password. Or they might impersonate bank representatives over the phone and charm their way into learning your account information. Presidential Bank will never call or write to ask you to reveal private, personal, or account information.
Scammers are not just targeting bank information. Apply the same good sense when dealing with someone claiming to be from the IRS, tax preparers, or financial investment personnel. Scammers may try to acquire or use information via text, email or over-the phone.
 

Remember these important tips:

• Responding to your bank. If someone claiming to be from your bank, insurance company or even the IRS calls, ask for their name and call them back at the published contact number for that institution. Presidential Bank’s Customer Service Center number is 800-383-6266 and is open from 8am – 10pm Monday thru Friday.
• Think before you click a link or download an attachment. Think very carefully before you click on any link or download any attachment in an email or on a website.
• Be extra careful before conducting financial transactions over a public Wi-Fi network, which makes it more vulnerable to fraudsters.
• Slow down and breathe. Scammers thrive on panic and fear. If you get a call from a debt collector, take a breath and slow down. Debt collectors are not allowed to threaten to arrest you.
• Run it by someone else. If you're unsure of a financial transaction or the validity of an email, reach out to someone you trust. That person may be able to see that you're dealing with a thief, even when you can't.
• Put your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Add your number to the Federal Trade Commission's National Do Not Call Registry. This should stop legitimate telemarketers from calling your phone and encourage you to treat unsolicited calls with a bit more wariness.
• Guard your personal information. Scammers aren't just out to get your cash. They want your Social Security number, address, email, and other personal information. Unless you are expecting to hear from an institution or office, never authenticate yourself to anyone who contacts you. Instead, hang up and call them back on their published customer service number. Always use caution.

What to do if you're scammed.

If you are the victim of a scam, don't let embarrassment prevent you from reporting the crime to the authorities. If your identity has been stolen, call the companies where the fraud occurred and let them know that someone has taken your identity. Ask them to place a fraud alert on your accounts, then change your login and passwords. Some financial accounts, such as your credit card, are required to limit your financial liability if your information is stolen. Contact the credit-reporting bureaus to correct any false information and ask for a fraud alert or a freeze on your account.
Depending on the type of identity theft, you may also need to alert authorities about your misused Social Security number and replace it at your local SSA office or stop debt collectors calling you about a debt you don't owe.
Depending on the type of scam, you may want to report it to one or more official organizations that deal with specific categories of lawbreaking. Most financial scam reports can go to the Federal Trade Commission, through its Complaint Assistant. You can report IRS impostors to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Investing scam complaints may go through the Securities and Exchange Commission or your own state's securities regulator. Report fake check scams to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You may even file a report through your local police department. Conduct a quick online search if you're unsure of where to report the type of scam you've experienced.

News & Announcements

Who We Are

On October 6, 1995, Presidential® became the first bank in the United States to offer its bank accounts over the Internet. Beginning in 1997, Presidential was one of the earliest banks to offer online account statements and then real time PC banking services, such as current balance look-up capability and transfers between accounts. Our unique online archive of historical account statements and check copies, followed later by deposit copies, goes back to the beginning of the availability of these documents online; they are never deleted from our website, providing customers with useful long-term reference information. Software for this service was developed in-house, and a patent was granted for this system.

Learn More