Beware of Phone Scams

Telephone scam artists call or text message potential victims in an attempt to trick them into providing personal information by posing as a reputable company.  They might indicate that your credit/debit card privileges have been revoked and requests your account number information in order to have it reactivated.  Do not provide personal information over the telephone unless you have initiated the call.

Telephone scams are not limited to home phones.  Mobile phones are now being used as a weapon to steal personal information.  The same types of attacks that have plagued the online world are migrating to mobile phones.

Vishing Attacks

In vishing, the fraudster calls someone, using a taped recording of telephone services from a financial institution, to try to extract personal information. For example, the recording informs you that your credit card has been used illegally and asks you to call a fake 800 number, where you'll be asked to confirm account details. Or you may receive an e-mail asking you to call a toll-free number. The consumer's answers are recorded, or saved, and later used to commit identity theft.  If it's a vishing scam, refuse to answer questions and hang up.

Smishing Attacks

The term "Smishing" comes from SMS plus phishing (SMS stands for "short message service," used for mobile text messaging). In smishing, criminals are after the same sort of information as in vishing, but they send a text message on a mobile phone instead of calling.

A common smishing ploy goes like this: You receive a text message, seemingly from your credit union, stating that your account has been closed. To reactivate it, you're told to call a toll-free number. When you do, you're asked to enter your account number and PIN.  If it's a smishing attack, don't do what the text message instructs you to do.

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