“Spoofing” Attacks On The Rise

What Is Spoofing?

A fraudster will use a technique called spoofing where they manipulate their caller ID information to make it look like the call is coming from a trusted source, like their credit union. They will tell the member that there have been some fraudulent charges on their account and that they will need to get some information in order to block the debit card and prevent further charges. The fraudster will then ask for the member’s personal account information, such as their online banking user name, full debit card number, and debit card PIN. They may also ask the member to send funds to another person as part of the dispute resolution process.

A Reminder

Call Federal will never call and ask you to provide information like your full debit card number or PIN. We will also never ask you to send funds to a third party as part of a dispute resolution process.

How Can I Protect Myself From These Attacks?

If you ever have a doubt about the legitimacy of an incoming call, the best practice is to hang up and call the organization’s customer service number (that you find on their website or printed material). There’s also a whole section within our Money & Beyond portal dealing with Consumer Protection, including an article titled “5 Steps for Avoiding Phone, Email, and Mailed Scams” that we highly recommend. Members who sign up for the free Money & Beyond portal can also take a short course on protecting themselves from identity theft and other scams.

Fraudsters come up with new and creative ways to obtain information every day, so it’s important to stay vigilant. In addition to the content linked above, please visit our Identity Theft Prevention page for additional resources to protect yourself from fraud and scams.