“Tis the season of fraud.
Don’t let scams and fraudsters ruin the holidays. Here are some reminders to keep you safe from fraudsters this holiday season and beyond.
- Fraudsters may pose as a credit union or bank employees “phishing” for your important, personal information. Your credit union will never text, call or email you to ask for your login information.
- Report suspicious texts, calls and emails to the credit union immediately. The dubious fraudsters can impersonate credit unions and employees via email and text to get you to click links and provide personal information.
- Don’t open attachments from strangers. If you do not know the sender or are not expecting the attachment, delete it.
- Most computer files have filename extensions like “.doc” for documents or “.jpg” for images. If a file has a double extension, like “heythere.doc.pif,” it is highly likely that this is a dangerous file. It should never be opened. In addition, do not open email attachments that have file endings of .exe, .pif, or .vbs. These are filename extensions for executable files and could be dangerous if opened.
- Don’t fall for those holiday scams luring you into making extra money or deals that seem too good to be true. Work-at-home and sweepstake scams are a dime a dozen.
- Never provide your email address or sensitive information to unknown websites. If you don’t know the reputation of the site, don’t assume it safe to trust. Be wary of providing any information that can be used by others for fraudulent purposes.
- Delete all email spam without opening it. Responding to spam only confirms your email address to the spammer, which can intensify the problem.
- Many fraudulent emails contain urgent messages claiming your account will be closed if sensitive information isn’t immediately provided, or that important security needs to be updated online. Your credit union will never use this method to alert you of a problem. When in doubt, call us.
- Monitor your accounts regularly and respond to fraud alerts and report unauthorized transactions promptly. Log in to online banking every few days and scan your transactions. If you suspect foul play, contact us immediately.