Safety and Security

Imposters pretend to be someone you know, like a credit union employee. Imposters try to make you trust them to steal your personal information or ask you to buy a gift card or transfer money. Some scammers have methods of manipulating their caller ID to make it appear as though they are calling from a trusted source.

Tip – Government agencies, including the NCUA and credit unions do not ask for money or your financial information. When unsure whether they are who they say they are, don’t send money or share your information. Instead, stop the communication and call the credit union to authenticate the request.

Online shoppers can be scammed in many ways such as receiving products despite the payment, losing money and payment information, and fake websites and apps.

Tip – Read refund and return policies prior to making a purchase. If your order didn’t arrive or your refund request is denied, dispute the charges. Be sure to monitor your credit/debit card transactions to increase the chance of spotting unauthorized purchases or withdrawals in the early stage of this fraud.

Check washing scams involve changing the payee names and often the dollar amounts on checks and depositing them. Occasionally, these checks are stolen from mailboxes and washed in chemicals to remove the ink.

Tip– Retrieve your mail regularly instead of leaving it in your mailbox. Deposit your outgoing mail at your local post office or in blue collection boxes before the last pickup. If you’re going on vacation, have your mail held at the post office.

Scammers adopt a fake online identity and gain your affection and trust. They then manipulate you into believing that you have a romantic or close relationship with them. They make plans to meet in person, but it never happens because they often claim to be working outside the country. They ask for money for emergencies or trick you into providing your sensitive information.

Tip – Scammers may use details about you shared on social media or dating sites before targeting you. Watch what you share on your social profiles.

Scammers contact you claiming you won a prize, sweepstake, or lottery and then ask for money or your account information to cover taxes and other fees upfront. They might pretend to be from government agencies or claim you’ve won a foreign lottery, which is almost certainly a scam.

Tip – Government agencies do not call to demand money or your financial information to collect a prize. Also, real sweepstakes are free and by chance.

Despite many variations, fake check scams involve two main components:

1. scammers send cashier’s checks or money orders to you; and
2. they ask you to send part of the cashed money back to them in gift cards, money orders or cryptocurrency.

Tip – Cashier’s checks are not cash, and it can take weeks to validate legitimacy. If the amount on the check is more than what it should be, void it and ask the sender to resend another check for the correct amount.