News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Friday December 19th 2025
How to Spot a Financial Scam Before It’s Too Late
By AMANDA THEISEN, Communications Manager for Sunrise Banks
Financial scams come in many forms—phony sweepstakes, emails pretending to be from banks, or urgent messages from “loved ones” asking for money. These schemes are common but usually contain clear warning signs. From suspicious grammar to odd requests, something often feels “off.”
“Customers often come to us with questions about whether or not a financial request or message is legitimate,” says Sandra Rodriguez, a branch manager at Sunrise Banks. “By listening, being patient and asking a few open-ended questions, we can help them slow down and identify those red flags.”
If you receive a suspicious financial message, keep the following tips in mind:
- Look for Small Inconsistencies
Scammers are often careless. A bank based in Minnesota—like Sunrise Banks—will typically have a local area code, such as 651. If you get a message from someone claiming to be from the bank but using an out-of-state phone number, that’s a red flag.
Other inconsistencies to watch for include slight changes in names and addresses. For example, Sunrise Banks would never identify itself as “Sunrise Bank” without the “s.” Always verify that details match the real institution’s contact information. - Bad Grammar is a Red Flag
Misspellings, odd punctuation, and awkward phrasing often point to scams.
Letter to the Editor- June 2025
I was pretty upset recently to see a headline on the World Food Program website recently which states “WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza as border crossings remain closed.” (www.wfp.org; retrieved on the 9th of May, 2025) Then I thought that instead of giving in to despair, I should take some tiny little steps to improve the situation and show that people care. I encourage others to do something like this also. I just quickly sent off messages to elected representatives and stated that diplomatic pressure should be applied to get the Israeli government to open the border crossings into Gaza. Then I wrote a paper and pen letter and mailed it to the leader of our country and stated my opinion. I urge others to take the opportunity to do something similar. What is going on in Gaza (and Sudan) seems overwhelming and it also seems far away. But no one should despair or think that their small actions will have no effect. There is hope!
Sincerely,
Bruce Magnuson
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Smiling Helps
by MARTI MALTBY
Smiling helps.
That’s it.
I have nothing more profound than that. I have been reminded lately how important it is to give and receive smiles, so I thought I would remind everyone else.
We have one community member at Peace House Community who I mentally associate with smiling. He and I rarely speak to each other, but any day that he comes in, he gives me a smile and a nod. Several times, when I have been dealing with a stressful situation or a combative individual, I will see him looking at me. When he knows he’s caught my eye, he will give me a smile of understanding. He still doesn’t say anything, but the smile lets me know that someone else sees what I’m dealing with and appreciates what I’m going through.
That sort of interaction has affected how I do my job. When Peace House Community opens in the morning, I try to greet our community members with a smile to make them feel welcome and at home. Many of our members have told me about how unwelcome they feel walking into most other buildings. They believe the people letting them in have already decided that they are potential troublemakers, which makes them defensive and guarded.… Read the rest “Smiling Helps”