JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gail Bryan and her husband have unlimited text messaging on their cell phones but when they both received an unusual text message claiming to be from Compass Bank she knew something wasn't right.
"I thought it was strange cause I have no account with Compass Bank," said Bryan.
The text read "Your immediate attention is required. Call now."
When Gail called the number on the text message, she got a recording with a warning.
"It said ‘Your debit card has been compromised. Please press 1 to reactivate your debit card,'" said Bryan.
Bryan said the message that greeted her concerned her, so she hung up and called Compass Bank.
"I talked to a customer service rep and told her about the text. She said, ‘We do not text our customers,'" explained Bryan.
The scam is a "phishing scam" where victims are tricked into revealing their personal information. Victims think that they're providing their personal information to their financial institution, but instead they're giving it to identity thieves.
"We're retired. We worked hard for our retirement, and I don't want a piece of garbage coming in and taking my money," Bryan said.
Compass Bank officials are warning customers on their website, explaining about the fraudulent text messages and telling customers not to respond to the messages.
The warning reads:
"BBVA Compass has been made aware of a series of fraudulent text messages directing customers to phone the bank and provide personal information, such as Social Security and debit card numbers.
Customers should not to respond to the fraudulent text messages. These messages did not originate at the bank and the phone numbers included are not BBVA Compass lines.
The fraudulent messages do not appear limited to BBVA Compass customers. If you've already responded to one of these messages, contact your financial institution immediately."