Monday, February 2, 2009

Fake Text Messages

Citizens all over the Southern states have reported receiving fraudulent text messages stating that their debit card has been deactivated. The purpose of these text messages is to fool the recipient into calling the 1-800 number provided to "reactivate" the account.

The text messages state that the caller is from the National Credit Union Administration, Credit Union National Association, or some other national group that sounds official. These calls are sent out in mass numbers hoping to trigger a few people into providing their personal information. If personal information is provided, rest assured that fraudulent transactions will appear on your account at some point.

When in doubt, contact the credit union at one of our published telephone numbers. North Alabama Educators Credit Union does not send out text messages to members. We also do not contact members and ask for personal information in regards to any suspected fraud. If we do suspect fraud on your account, we will be providing information to the member.

Unfortunately, technology has assisted criminals in a wide variety of methods to contact their potential victims. Never provide any information to an unsolicited request. Do not trust Caller ID as a means of verification either since call numbers can be spoofed to appear as a legitimate business number when it is not.

No comments: