Ridgewood Savings Bank (RSB) recently partnered with the 104th Precinct in an attempt to better educate residents on how to avoid bank fraud. RSB hosted several officers from the precinct at their main headquarters at 71-02 Forest Ave. in Ridgewood, where they could speak with customers and offer informational materials.
104th Precinct Police Officers Gonzalez and Bonilla of the Crime Prevention Division stood at a booth to distribute the materials that covered common scams that New Yorkers come into contact with. The most common include gift card scams, ATM fraud, mailbox “fishing,” check washing, jewelry theft scams and impersonation attempts involving government agencies. RSB’s Branch Manager and Assistant Vice President John Hennessey and Universal Banker Eva Marie Amrhein joined the two officers for the outreach event.
“Knowledge is one of the most powerful ways to protect our community,” said Hennessey, Branch Manager and AVP of Ridgewood Savings Bank. “As a community bank founded by local business owners in 1921, we believe educating our customers about fraud prevention is just as important as providing trusted financial services. We are proud to partner with the 104th Precinct to help our neighbors stay informed and safe.”
According to the City of New York, ATM skimmers are the seventh most common scam residents face while going about their daily lives. These skimmers are implanted on a typical card reader found at any store and download personal bank information while consumers make their transactions.
Just below ATM skimmers are phone scams, listed eight most common, and often involve a scammer impersonating either a government official, such as an IRS agent, or a family member asking for financial help with a phony emergency. In 2025, a different type of scam caught steam: “romance scams,” in which individuals are catfished by those impersonating interested individuals. In the first three quarters of the year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported these scams cost people around the state a total of $42 million. Scammers typically target seniors or the younger generation who have yet to learn financial literacy.
A spokesperson for RSB stated that these events held in partnership with the 104th Precinct are a part of its “continued commitment to financial literacy, public safety and strong partnerships within the Queens community.”
