Current Scams to Watch Out For
Fraudulent purchases and scams seem to be running rampant these days. It feels like every day there’s a new one circulating throughout the community! These scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated as technology improves and information becomes readily available to whoever wants to use it to their advantage. We’ve compiled a list of some of the scams we’ve heard about lately - and how you can avoid falling victim to them!
Texting Scams - If you receive a text from your financial institution claiming there is new activity in your account or that you are in a negative balance and the message gives you a link to login to your account or asks for a PIN number, DELETE the message and block the number! This text may even include some correct information, like the last four digits of your account number. Call your institution to see if this text is legitimate! For members at NRFCU, know that we NEVER send out texts to our members and will let you know if we do!
Email Scams - These scams can be very similar to the text ones. If you receive an email from your financial institution claiming there is an alert on your account or something of this nature, be sure to first check to see what email address the message is coming from. If it looks strange (a weird jumble of letters and numbers or a domain you don’t recognize), delete this email. Even if your bank DOES send these alerts to you regularly, it’s always better to login to your account directly through their app or home banking system rather than through an email.
Phone calls - Phone call scams are becoming more and more realistic as scammers are hiring paid actors to speak with potential victims over the phone. We’ve heard it all - grandparents receiving calls from their “grandkids” claiming they need money to bail them out of jail, representatives from your bank or a store claiming there are problems with your account or an order you placed, and many, many more. Some scammers are even able to mask their phone numbers to show the name of your financial institution or another company on caller ID!
Online Scams - This is probably one of the trickiest scams to avoid - simply because they look real! If you see an advertisement for a product from a brand you haven’t heard of, try Googling reviews of the company first. This could save you a lot of time and money. Also make sure their website is secure - which can be revealed by a little lock icon near their domain in your browser. If you have any qualms about the legitimacy of the site, it’s best to just stay away.
In summary, don’t give out your information freely to anyone who asks for it. If someone contacts you in regards to your information and is pressing you for personal or irrelevant info, hang up and contact your institution directly through the number they provide on their secure website. Don’t give information out via text and don’t open any text links that you weren’t expecting. Be weary of emails that ask you to login directly from that email and come from strange email addresses. Lastly - use your gut instinct to keep your information private! And if you ever have any concerns about fraud or your personal information, contact Niagara Regional FCU. We’d be happy to help!