How to protect yourself from Social Engineering and Account Takeover Fraud Attempts
During this this time of crisis, we have been made aware of heightened fraud attempts in our area and want to suggest some ways that you can protect yourself from becoming a victim.
· Beware of responding to SMS text messages or voice calls from unknown numbers, even if they appear to come from the credit union. · We advise you to call the credit union on our published phone number to question any SMS text messages or voice calls supposedly from the credit union. · Never give out personal identification such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other unique identifying information. · Do not click on links included in text messages from unknown sources. Legitimate requests to validate card activity will request a simple response of YES or NO. They will not include links to other websites or ask for any personal info.
Criminals in possession of card details and other forms of personally identifiable information are spoofing credit union phone numbers in an effort to fool credit union members into thinking that text messages and phone calls are actually from the fraud department of a particular credit union. Fraudsters are sending text messages under the guise of trying to validate recent card activity and are including hyperlinks within some text messages.
Remember, a Legacy Representative will never ask you for detailed account or full card number, PIN number, or CVV code via text message or phone. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to report a fraud attempt, please contact us at (205)930-5000 and mention this email to a Legacy Representative.
To learn more about spoofing and how you can report it to the FCC, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id |