Credit Unions targeted – protect yourself from phone scams
It’s crucial to educate our valued members on how to stay safe from fraud and protect yourself from phone scams in today’s digital world. By sharing simple tips and highlighting potential risks, we aim to help you protect your finances and avoid falling victim to these sophisticated operations. The more our members know, the better equipped you are to keep your accounts secure and trust in their credit union. Fraudulent phone calls, also known as vishing, are on the rise. To protect yourself from falling victim to these scams, follow these simple steps:
Protect Yourself
Never share personal information over the phone, especially if you didn’t initiate the call.
Verify the caller’s identity. Tell them you’ll call back after checking their details. Use the contact number from official sources, not the number they’re calling from.
Don’t feel rushed. Fraudsters often create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly. Take your time and check everything carefully.
Beware of requests for money. Your credit union will never ask you to transfer funds or withdraw cash for any reason, especially if they’re asking for it in person.
Increase in Calls from Irish Numbers
Recently it has been reported that members have received a text that appears very plausible followed by a phone call. Here you can see an example of the text that was received by an individual. It’s safe to say at first glance this looks like a real text from a legitimate source. This is not the case. The scammers can now make their phone number appear local making it harder to spot that they are operating illegally. When you receive the phone call, the person on the other end may have some details about you like your name and address. It’s all designed to make you think they know you and they are to be trusted.
This is not the case. If a caller is legitimate, they will have no issue with you verifying the call or taking time to check everything carefully. Staff in the financial services industry are highly trained and in tune with the needs of their service users. Take every measure you see fit to protect yourself from phone scams and other fraudulent activity.
There are times that the Credit Union may need to communicate with you. Once example of this is notifying when we pick a winner of our Monthly Members’ Prize Draw. It is often the case that the person will ring back to check if the call was legitimate.
It’s also important to not that if you ever get a call about your card services or any other service we provide, remember that the credit union or any of it’s service providers WILL NEVER ask for your full 16-digit card number, PIN, or online banking password.
These are red flags if requested over the phone. Don’t panic—again genuine representatives will always respect your need to verify their identity. They will understand how important it is to protect yourself from phone scams.
Signs of a Scam
Unsolicited calls or texts that you weren’t expecting.
Requests for sensitive information like your PIN, full card number, or account details.
Urgency or pressure to act quickly or transfer money.
Unknown phone numbers that don’t match official contact details.
Be vigilant and stay safe and protect yourself from phone scams. If you are in any doubt feel free to ring us on 056 7722042 to check the legitimacy of any call.
We have other posts to help keep you safe check out our blog post on smishing Smishing – Fraud Awareness – St. Canice’s Credit Union. There is also a great website on all things fraud related. FraudSMART – Informed. Alert. Secure.