Nationwide banking scam affects Bank of Missouri

Bank of Missouri officials released a statement Friday advising customers to ignore calls from a telephone phishing scam that attempts to gather personal banking information.

The fraudulent calls are being made to customers of banks across the nation. A voice message says the customer's Bank of Missouri or other debit card has been blocked, and advises the customer to press "1" to unblock the card. Bank of Missouri does not request banking information in that manner, and customers who doubt the validity of any call about their bank accounts should contact the bank before divulging any information, the statement said.

The Bank of Missouri Fraud Detection Program said that the telephone numbers being reported to them are 866-766-1257 and 000-999-8888, and said customers should ignore instructions and report the calls.

"We want to reassure everyone that if you hold an account with The Bank of Missouri it has not been hacked, tampered with or accessed in any unauthorized manner," the release said. "Your account and debit card information are safe provided that you did not give out any of your account information over the phone when prompted."

Questions may be directed to the Bank of Missouri Fraud Detection Program at 888-547-6541.