Stay safe from fraud this season

As we enter the holiday season, there is a significant rise in fraudulent activity. More than ever, it is important to protect your personal information. As scams and fraud continue to increase, we want to make sure our members have information to stay safe.

Keep your finances safe by using the online banking or mobile app. We offer many services to help you monitor your account. Some of the services are activity alerts, e-alerts, locking/unlocking your cards, bill pay, and P2P. Using these services can keep your account safe and keep you up to date.

Be aware of holiday shopping scams, as there are many amazing deals coming up. Make sure you aren’t clicking on ads on social media. Many of these are clickbait to download malware or get your financial information. You can protect yourself from clickbait fraud by taking extra steps before clicking on links. If it is a real deal, find the official website or a trusted phone number and contact them directly.

One thing we continue to see is our members are being contacted by fraudsters by phone to obtain sensitive personal information. Fraudsters are pretending to be credit union employees to verify debit or credit card transactions. Our automated fraud alerts require only a simple response of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and no personal information is needed. The fraudster will make the request seem urgent and will use various means to intimidate or pressure you into giving them the information they want. Often, the caller ID is spoofed to make it appear as though the credit union or another trusted source is making the call to you.

Remember, the credit union will never contact you via phone or text message to request your full account number, card number, PIN, security code, online banking information, passwords, or security questions.

 If you are suspicious of a call or believe you are a victim of a scam, please contact us immediately at 269-965-1381.

For more education on scams and ways to protect yourself, please see our website for additional information on our fraud tab.

Stay safe this holiday season!

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