It's the season of giving, and scammers are out to get as much as they can. They often use scare tactics to trick you into handing over money or personal information.
Imposter scammers trick their victims into sending money to pay fines, avoid arrest, and even to ‘unlock’ their computer. They will make you believe they are your legitimate fraud center trying to protect your account. They will use something to panic you.
These scams can be avoided, by taking a few steps:
Stop and take a breath. Just because you hear it, doesn’t make it true. Verify what you are being told. Don’t rely on caller ID.
Call your Financial Institution, on the published number, immediately to verify what you are being told. Tell a representative the situation. When it comes to your money - we are here to HELP.
Never give anyone any codes that arrive on your phone. NEVER. We will never ask for it. No one should ever need it. Giving that code away is giving a scammer the keys to the lock on your account.
Never give your money to someone who demands payments from gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, it’s a scam. They need gift card numbers, or they sent you a check and need you to send a portion of it back, it’s a scam.
If they tell you to download a program - Don’t do it. It is to infect your computer or phone and gain access to everything on the device.
Pop-Ups are 99.9% of the time fraud/scams - never call the number on the pop-up. Have a trusted professional look at your computer/phone if you get a popup saying you have been compromised.
If you have any questions, please contact member services at 501-375-5321 or email cards@telcoe.com.
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