Phishing scam moves to Ben Lomond

The phishing scam that has plagued the San Lorenzo Valley since the start of the month is still pestering locals, bank officials said, but customer information remains safe.
Valley residents have been harassed with automated phone calls posing as Liberty Bank that ask for credit card information and PIN codes. The automated phone scam started on the East Coast and first hit the valley Oct. 2.
“Most recently, they started targeting Ben Lomond at the end of last week,” said Jill Hitchman, Liberty Bank vice president.
The calls stopped briefly Oct. 10 before they started up again Oct. 14.
“It’s still going on, just not as frequently,” Hitchman said. “Everyone is pretty used to it now.”
The scam has targeted the whole San Lorenzo Valley and Aptos.
“The problem is that the source keeps moving, so shutting them down is hard,” Hitchman said. “These people could be anywhere.”
The scammers place their calls by hacking into the Internet phone systems — called voice-over-Internet protocols — that many businesses use, Hitchman explained.
Calls are placed via a hacked system for about a week before the scammers move on to the next business.
“And it’s not the business at fault — they’ve essentially been hijacked,” she said.
The FBI is still working hard on the case, Hitchman said.
Liberty Bank customer information has not been compromised, officials said, and both customers and noncustomers are targeted.
“To my knowledge, no one has given out any of their information since word got out,” Hitchman said. “People are more prepared now.”