BancorpSouth warns customers of e-mail scam

The e-mail cites a “problem processing security system information” for September and asks customers to click a link to provide their online banking login information, or their online service will be discontinued.

The letter is sent to random e-mail addresses that don’t necessarily belong to BancorpSouth customers, according to Senior Vice President of Operations Jeff Jaggers.

“Phishing attempts are common in the banking industry, and BancorpSouth has certainly had its share,” Jaggers said. “They’re attempting to find someone who’s a customer and … will respond and provide their bank credentials.”

Jaggers said the company has a fraud department that, among other tracking methods, monitors and takes down Web sites that have been created with addresses similar to the BancorpSouth site. The department also communicates to customers that the bank will never ask them for confidential information via e-mail.

The Tupelo, Miss.-based bank entered the Springfield market earlier this year when it merged with locally owned The Signature Bank, which had six local branches.

While e-mail scams are not limited to targeting BancorpSouth, the problem is somewhat new for what used to be The Signature Bank.

“Honestly, we didn’t see much of this type of activity as The Signature Bank,” said Amy Kiefer, BancorpSouth Bank senior vice president in Springfield, in an e-mail. Kiefer added that she’s seen about six fraudulent e-mail attempts since last October, when the merger was announced. “I imagine that is because (BancorpSouth’s) name was in the public eye, with the announcement of the pending merger.”