Don't Get Hooked - Get SMART!

Every day, American consumers receive offers that just sound too good to be true. In the past, these offers came through the mail or by telephone, but now the con artists and swindlers have found another avenue to pitch their frauds...the Internet. The on-line scams know no national borders or boundaries; they respect no investigative jurisdictions. But, as with all scammers, they have one objective - to separate you from your money!

The following is a list of the most common frauds that the credit union sees on a daily basis. Be aware of these scams and save yourself from becoming a victim.

Keeping Our Members Safe

1. NEVER give your personal information out through email or text on mobile devices. If you contact us by phone, we do ask for identifying information to confirm who you are, but we DO NOT ever contact you, asking for this information.

Your personal information includes account numbers, social security number, passwords, PIN numbers, or credit card security codes. If you are asked to verify any of these through email, text or a call which you did not initiate, do not fall for it. Contact your financial institution directly to confirm any attempts to gain information from you.

2. KEEP YOUR PC ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS UPDATED AND CURRENT. Any pc that utilizes the internet should have an ongoing virus program in place. McAfee, Kaspersky are a few of the well known products. Make sure your program is set up to perform regular updates and scans. In addition to antivirus programs, we also recommend malware programs such as those offered through Malwarebytes. This will add additional protection to your pc.

3. Contact Credit Union of Denver immediately at 303.239.1150 if you suspect any fraudulent or suspicious activity on your own account. And Forward any suspicious emails asking for your financial information or asking you to click on a link to verify financial information to abuse@cudenver.com.

4.  If there is suspected fraudulent activity on your credit card, you may be contacted by a representative from Credit Union of Denver's card processor, PSCU. The call will come from 888.918.7313 and the representative who contacts you will NOT ask you to give them any information about your card, but will ony verify any suspicious transactions. If any transaction is not authorized by you, your card will be immediately deactivated, and you will be directed to call C•U•D directly to order a new card. If you are suspicious of any call you receive from C•U•D or PSCU, DO NOT provide any information to the caller, hang up and call us directly at 303.239.1150 or 800.279.3288 to verify that the call was legitimate.

Text Message Scams!

Text message scams are being sent to both members and nonmembers. The texts are part of a phishing scam, where information seems to come from a legitimate organization, but a person is asked for personal financial information that the institutions should already have. Scammers normally attempt to contact potential victims through e-mail and phone calls, but the texts, which have grown in popularity over the last few years, have become more commonplace. The economic downturn could be part of the reason why scams are happening more than before. "These scammers know people are concerned about their personal finances and they prey on that fear," he said. "The last thing people need right now is trouble with their bank account or their credit cards. And they know people are more likely to respond during these times because they're already struggling." Please keep in mind the credit union will not send you an email or text message, nor will we ask for your information as we already have it.

Prizes and Sweepstake Fraud

• Never pay to play.
• Don't believe that you have to give the company money for taxes on your prize. It's up to you to declare your prize winnings when you file your income taxes.
• Be cautious about emails for contests and sweepstakes. Many unsolicited emails are fraudulent.
• Be on guard for imposters. Some con artists use company names that are identical or very similar to well-known, legitimate sweepstakes operators.
• Be wary of offers to send you an 'advance' on your 'winnings.' Some con artists use this ploy to build trust and get money from your bank. They send you a check for part of your 'winnings,' instructing you to deposit it and then wire payment to them for taxes, bonding, or some other phony purpose. After you wire the money, the check that you deposited finally bounces because it turned out to be a fake. Now the crooks have your payment, and you're left owing your bank the amount that you withdrew.
• Be especially cautious about foreign sweepstakes companies. Many fraudulent sweepstakes companies that target the U.S. are located in Canada or other countries, which makes it more difficult for law enforcement to pursue them.