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Times of transition can bring an increase in fraud attempts, and criminals may try to take advantage of you. It is important that you be extra cautious about protecting your personal information to help make times of transition smooth and secure.
Verify Your Contact Information Is Up-To-Date
Make sure your contact information is up to date with your credit union. If you’ve recently moved, changed phone numbers, or changed your email address, you should let your credit union know. It is likely that throughout the merger process you will receive important account notices through email and mail. When you do receive emails from your credit union, add the email address to your contact list. This will help you to identify legitimate emails from potential fraud attempts.
Learn the New Credit Union
When a merger is announced, take the time to learn about the new credit union as much as you can. Take a look at the credit union’s website, and get to know what account options they will be offering, where their branches are located, and their leadership. Getting familiar with the new credit union will help you be more prepared for the merger and will also give you a better sense of security.
Stay Alert for Fraud Attempts from Scammers
As a reminder, your credit union will never contact you asking for personal information. If someone claims to be a credit union employee and contacts you to ask for personal information – it is likely a fraud attempt. In short, here are some good practices to keep in mind when it comes to protecting your personal information: Don’t reply to emails or texts that ask for sensitive information; if someone calls asking for personal information, do not provide it; keep your passwords secure and update them periodically; and lastly, closely monitor your transactions. The more you familiarize yourself with these scams, the better chance you have at identifying them. Continue reading for a more detailed description of some of the most common scams.
Know the Scams: Phishing, Smishing, and Spoofing
Email Phishing
Email Phishing scam is a fraudulent email message that appears to be from a person or company you know. It attempts to illegally gather personal and/or financial information from you. A phishing email typically includes at least one link to a fake website, which may be designed to mimic the site of a legitimate business. The email is designed to entice you into providing information that could be used for identity theft or online financial theft. These scams will often try to scare you into action by threatening to close your accounts if you don't respond. If you are suspicious of phishing based on the sender or subject details, don’t open the message. If you do open it, do not click on any attachments or links, and don’t respond if prompted to verify your information. If you’re unsure if an email was legitimately sent from TruStone, contact us.
Smishing
Smishing uses phishing tactics through SMS (text message) communication and attempts to obtain sensitive information by impersonating a trustworthy source. It is especially dangerous because, on rare occasion, these scams can infect your phone with a virus. If you are suspicious of smishing based on the sender alone, don’t open the message. If you do open it, do not click on any links or call the senders phone number, and don’t respond if prompted to verify your information.
Spoofing
Caller ID spoofing is the process of changing the caller ID to any number or name other than the actual caller. This is done through an online service that, for a fee, creates a conference-type phone call connecting the user with the number they provide. Remember, TruStone will not call you and request personal information – if someone does it’s likely a scam. If you do receive a suspicious call from someone posing as a credit union employee, hang up and call the credit union directly.
Have a Question? Contact Us.
You may have questions throughout the merger process and that is normal! TruStone will be reaching out to you directly regarding any specific changes – what they are, when they will occur and what you’ll need to do. Until you have received specific communication, we encourage you to manage your accounts just like you always have, and if questions come up along the way, contact us and we will be happy to help.
Contents of this blog article are intended to provide you with a general understanding of the subject matter. However, it is not intended to provide legal, accounting, or other professional advice and should not be relied on as such. Information may have changed since the publication date.