e-Mail, the Internet, and cell phones have become part of our daily lives to shop, bank, pay bills, and communicate. Unfortunately, it has increased identity theft crimes and other types of consumer fraud. But you can protect yourself from scammers. A good way to stay one step ahead of scammers is by familiarizing yourself with current scams. We’ve compiled a list of common scams to help you do just that. Plus, Orange County’s Credit Union has implemented a comprehensive online security system for online banking and secure support e-mail tool.
Important Information
Orange County’s Credit Union will never ask for your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Please don’t respond if you receive an automated call or text message asking you to enter your card number and PIN. The automated call or text will usually make a false claim such as, “your debit card is blocked/not working and needs to be reactivated/deactivated”. This is a scam.
Fradulent Sweepstakes Cashier Checks
Orange County’s Credit Union is investigating fraudulent Credit Union cashier checks. Please be aware, cashier checks for the “2010 For Your Dream Sweepstakes” are fraudulent. If you receive a cashier check along with a “2010 For Your Dream Sweepstakes” letter, please report it to the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch, a service of the nonprofit National Consumers League, at http://www.fraud.org/.
Fraudulent Mobile Banking App on Google’s Android Market
Droid09, a suspicious mobile banking application, appeared on the Google’s app store, Android Market. The app stole the users’ online banking credentials in order to gain the user’s financial information. Google has since removed the applications. If you downloaded the Droid09 app, please remove it from your phone and take it to your cell phone provider to ensure it’s completely removed. Please note, Orange County’s Credit Union does not currently offer an app for mobile banking.
What is a scam?
Scams can be from e-mail (phishing), text messaging (smishing), telephone (vishing). These scams are well-designed to mimic legitimate organizations (including credit unions).
The following are examples of telephone (phishing) requests mimicking credit unions:
• "Your account has been temporarily suspended because of a security
breach at our credit union. Please provide your information to our
security department to reactivate your account.”
• "Your credit card was suspended. Our customer service department
needs your information to reinstate your card.”
• "Your loan is delinquent. Payment is needed ‘immediately’ (over the
phone).”
• "You can receive a reduced interest rate on your loan. We need to
confirm your information.”
Tips to protect yourself
• Don’t respond to e-mails, text messages or telephone calls asking for
personal identification or financial information.
• Never respond directly to requests that claim to be from the Credit
Union. You should contact the Member service number listed on
your monthly statement to verify that the request is legitimate.
• e-Mails and Internet pages created by scammers may look exactly like a
company.
• Learn more about phishing scam techniques.
• If you’re a victim of a scam, take action immediately! Alert your credit
union or financial institution, place fraud alerts on your credit files,
and monitor your account statements.
• Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission by calling
(877) -IDTHEFT.
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