Phishing Scams

Scammers use social engineering to trap their victims. This means they take advantage of social norms to inspire trust and manipulate people into clicking on their links or answering their emails. It's almost impulsive for people to download attachments that look like they're from friends or a familiar business.

They may use various communication methods, like emails, calls, texts, or social media. The scammers convince the victims of their legitimacy by providing personal details about the victim - which they easily pull off the internet. Victims are enticed to provide information for surveys or by claiming the victim needs to verify or update an account - leading to potential theft of funds, identity, or monitoring of online activity. Some victims are tricked into clicking spyware links that mimic their credit union's website. As your credit union, we won't request sensitive info through insecure channels or ask for account verification – we already have that information!

Despite this red flag, hundreds of people fall prey to phishing scams. Don't be the next victim! Here are four tips to help you protect yourself from phishing scams:

1. Ignore suspicious emails - If you receive an email from an unidentifiable source, ignore it. Don't reply to the email, click on any embedded links or open attachments. Similarly, never "friend" or otherwise accept communications with a stranger via social media. As a general rule, it's best not to share any personal information over the internet.

2. Alert Community Resource Credit Union - Let us know if you think you've been contacted by a scammer impersonating CRCU! If you received an email, it's best to forward the original email to us. If you've already deleted it, email us every detail you can remember.

3. Report all suspicious activity - File your complaint at www.ftc.gov. You can also visit the FTC's Identity Theft website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to reduce the impact of potential identity theft.

4. Strengthen your computer's protection - Efficient antivirus software will prevent your computer from accepting suspicious emails. If your software doesn't update automatically, update it manually on a frequent basis. A strong firewall prevents scams and viruses by making you invisible online and blocking all communications from unauthorized sources. Similarly, the settings on all of your social media outlets should be as private as possible. Finally, all suspicious email addresses should be added to your computer's blacklist as quickly as possible.

With good precautions and steps toward prevention, you can keep yourself safe from phishing scams!