LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The website of a fake bank calling itself Ocean Wave Bank has been ordered to be deactivated by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).
“Websites like this take advantage of unsuspecting consumers and DIFS is committed to ensuring that they are permanently deactivated,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox in a press release on Tuesday.
“We will do everything in our power to protect Michiganders from predatory entities seeking to steal from consumers or collect their personal and financial information for fraudulent purposes,” Fox continued.
On April 6, DIFS issued a temporary cease-and-desist order against the fake bank, which claimed online to be a legitimate Michigan-based bank.
DIFS had determined that the purported bank is not located at the address on its website, which appears to be a personal residence.
The website was the only evidence of the purported bank’s existence that DIFS was able to find.
An administrative hearing was held May 17, and the administrative court should issue a Proposal for Decision within 30 days, said DIFS.
DIFS reports that people can verify the legitimacy of financial institutions using the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s National Information Center.
If you believe you have fallen victim to the fake bank or another unauthorized institution, you are asked to report it to DIFS by calling 877-999-6442, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., or online at the DIFS website.
