Bankers group issues scam alert

Bank officials were warning Missouri residents of a new telephone scam targeting elderly bank customers.

A statewide warning was issued by the Missouri Bankers Association regarding the scam, which attempts to obtain personal banking information from the elderly, according to a news release from the association.

In the scam, bank customers are contacted by telephone and are told a variety of false stories, all of which ask the potential victim for their bank account information.

Some of the stories told to customers included statements that the bank was failing and the bank was just checking to make sure the account was secure.

"Our banks do not ask for this information over the phone," association executive vice president Bill Ratliff said in the release. "If you think about it, the banks have this information already."

Local police agencies in the Cape Girardeau area have not had any complaints of this specific scam, but Cape Girardeau County sheriff's office Lt. David James said he has heard of similar ones in the area.