How to Spot an Impersonation Scam
Learn how scammers impersonate Great Southern Bank and how to protect your account from these scams.
Your phone rings. The caller ID says Great Southern Bank. A friendly voice on the other end says there's a problem with your account, and they just need to verify some information to fix it. Sounds legitimate, right?
Here's the uncomfortable truth: it might not be us at all.
What Is an Impersonation Scam?
Impersonation scams happen when someone pretends to be a trusted organization—your bank, a government agency, even a well-known company—to trick you into handing over money or personal information. And unfortunately, banks are some of the most commonly impersonated organizations out there. We should know: we hear from customers regularly who've been targeted by someone claiming to be us.
Scammers do this because it works. People trust their bank. When someone claims to be calling from Great Southern Bank, your guard naturally drops a little. That's exactly the reaction scammers are counting on.
Scammers do this because it works. People trust their bank. When someone claims to be calling from Great Southern Bank, your guard naturally drops a little. That's exactly the reaction scammers are counting on.
How Scammers Impersonate Us (and Other Banks)
Phone calls with spoofed caller ID.
Technology exists that lets scammers display any name and number they want on your caller ID. It might say Great Southern Bank and even show a number that matches ours. This is called spoofing, and it's surprisingly easy for scammers to do.
Text messages that look official.
You might get a text claiming to be from us about suspicious activity or a locked account, complete with a link to click. The message might even use our logo and colors.
Emails with our branding.
Scammers copy our logo, our color scheme, even our tone of voice, to create emails that look like they came straight from our marketing team.
Fake social media accounts.
Scammers sometimes create accounts that mimic our official pages, commenting on our real posts or messaging customers directly, pretending to offer customer support.
The Tactics They Use
Once they've got your attention, impersonation scammers typically follow a pattern:
They create urgency.
Your account will be frozen in the next hour unless you verify your information. Fear makes people act before they think.
They ask for information out of context.
If you called us, we may ask you to verify a one-time code to confirm it's really you—that's a normal part of keeping your account secure. But if we call, text, or email you out of the blue and ask you to provide your full account number, online banking password, or a one-time verification code, that's your biggest red flag. We'll never initiate contact and ask you to hand over that kind of information.
They request unusual payment methods.
If we ever ask you to resolve an account issue using gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, hang up immediately. That's not how we operate, and honestly, it's not how any legitimate bank operates.
They pressure you to stay on the line.
Scammers will often try to keep you on the phone, discouraging you from hanging up to verify their identity independently. A real representative will never be upset if you want to call back through our official number.
How to Protect Yourself
Hang up and call us back.
If you get a call claiming to be from Great Southern Bank and something feels off, hang up. Then call us directly using the number on the back of your debit card or our official website. Don't use any number provided by the caller.
Don’t trust caller ID alone.
As we mentioned, caller ID can be faked. Just because it says Great Southern Bank doesn't guarantee it's really us.
We won’t ask for sensitive information out of the blue.
If you call us, we might ask you to verify a one-time code to confirm your identity—that's just good security on both ends. But we will never call, text, or email you first and ask you to provide your full account number, password, or a verification code. If someone reaches out to you first asking for that information, treat it as a major red flag.
Go directly to our website or app.
If you get a suspicious email or text, don't click any links. Instead, open a new browser window and type our web address yourself, or open our official app.
Verify unfamiliar contacts.
If someone claiming to represent us reaches out in a way that feels unusual, it's always okay to pause and verify before responding.
A Message From Your Neighbors Since 1923
We've built our reputation over more than a century by earning trust, one relationship at a time. It's genuinely upsetting to us when scammers try to hijack that trust to take advantage of people in our community.
Here's what we want you to know: we will never mind if you hang up and call us back to verify something. We'd much rather you take that extra step than fall victim to someone pretending to be us. Real relationships—like the ones we've built with our customers over generations—can handle a little healthy skepticism.
If something feels off about a call, text, or email claiming to be from Great Southern Bank, trust that instinct. Reach out to us directly, and we'll help you sort out what's real and what's not.
Received a suspicious call, text, or email claiming to be from us? Call us directly at 800-749-7113 to verify. We’d rather confirm your account is safe than have you fall for a scam pretending to be your trusted neighborhood bank.
