Kevin O’Connor, Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of Westfield Bank. (submitted photo)
WESTFIELD – In response to a few calls from customers regarding suspicious phone calls that appeared to come from Westfield Bank, the bank took action and posted security reminders on their website and their Facebook page on Friday, said Executive Vice President Kevin O’Connor.
O’Connor said the calls were masked as an incoming number from the Westfield Bank. The caller, according to a post from a resident who received one, claimed that fraudulent charges had been made on a bank debit card, and asked the resident to confirm the number, expiration date and CVV code on the back of the card.
“We did receive a few phone calls about it, and we quickly took action to prevent any losses,” O’Connor said on Monday.
Westfield Bank responded by posting a general security message on its website, which states in part: “Please be advised that Westfield Bank employees will never call you and request personal information such as your debit card number or the CVV number on the back of your card.
“While our employees will never call you to request information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, debit card number, expiration date, or the CVV number on the back of your card, we may reach out to you for questions pertaining to transactions that we deem questionable or potentially fraudulent.
“When calling Westfield Bank, we may ask you to verify personal or account information in order to confirm your identity to ensure the highest level of security. Your security is very important to us and we work diligently to safeguard your personal information and ask you to be vigilant and take the necessary steps to keep your information safe and secure.
“If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a call from Westfield Bank, please contact our Customer Call Center at 413-568-1911. “
“The big message is we will never call and ask our customers for their information. Their account number, expiration date, CVV; we already have that information. We may ask them when they call us,” O’Connor said.
He also said he appreciated being notified by customers of the suspicious call. “Please alert us right away, so that we can take action,” he said.
O’Connor said the bank would cover losses, but asked customers to be diligent with their personal information. “This is unfortunately the world we live in,” O’Connor said.
