Know Who's Calling: How to Protect Yourself Against Potential Scammers
By now, you’ve probably heard stories from family, friends, or acquaintances about falling victim to a phone scam. You may have seen news coverage on all of the tactics that scammers are starting to use to get access to people’s financial information or financial accounts. Staying up to date with these scam tactics as they arise can help prevent you or your loved ones from falling victim.
In some cases, bank and credit union members have fallen victim to a scam where the caller appears to be from your financial institution. They start asking you questions to verify fraudulent charges on your account, which include access codes, and then they use that information to gain access to your account. If you receive one of these calls and you’re ever unsure, it’s always best to call your bank or credit union directly to verify if the account concern is legitimate before giving out any information. And if you have the time, it’s even better to go in person to address any account concerns and to report the incident to your credit union so they can make note of the fraudulent call. It’s important to remember that anyone can become a victim to these unfortunate phone scams, but knowing the signs to look for and how to respond can be the difference between falling victim to a scam and just hanging up.
