SCAM ALERT: Texting attacks on credit union members in the Fox Valley area

Follow these steps to help protect your funds and your identity

Recently, Fox Communities Credit Union members, and other credit union members throughout eastern Wisconsin, have reported smishing (fraudulent text messages) and phishing (fraudulent phone calls) attacks pretending to be an official credit union representative. These scammers are impersonating legitimate credit union phone numbers, making it more difficult for credit union members to determine whether the communication is legitimate. These scam attempts have a similar theme: fraudulently informing members of suspicious activity or payments requiring immediate action.  They then ask for digital banking credentials, secure access codes (verification codes), and debit or credit card numbers.

EXAMPLES OF WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

• Texts saying suspicious payments have been made and need to be authorized or denied by clicking on a fraudulent link disguised as an official credit union link
• Texts alerting members of changes made to their online banking profiles or accounts, again with a fraudulent link disguised as an official credit union link

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF

• Use Caution: Any texts – or calls or emails, for that matter – informing you of suspicious activity on, or changes to, your accounts could be a fraudulent attempt to gain access to your personal and account information. Do not give your username, password, secure access code, or debit/credit card numbers no matter what.  Credit unions like Fox will never ask for that information.
• Verify the Source of the Communication: It is easy for scammers to spoof caller ID, text and email information, so do not engage with or respond to these messages. Instead, always contact your credit union directly at phone numbers you know to be official. Or stop in your local branch to speak with someone.
• Secure Your Accounts: If you believe you may have given your information by mistake, please contact your credit union immediately so they can take the necessary steps to protect your accounts. You can reach a friendly Fox representative at 920-993-9000.
• Report Attempts: If you get one of these texts, or any kind of fraudulent communication, report it to your financial institution as soon as possible. Gather as much information about the communication as possible, including the verbiage of the message, the text ID, the number the message tells you to call, and anything else that seems pertinent.  Fox reports all these incidents to the authorities to aid in the investigation.

Rest assured that Fox has state-of-the-art security measures in place to help keep your accounts safe. We want our members to be aware of these scam attempts because, while they’re targeting more than just Fox members, we want to ensure everyone’s finances and identity are kept safe.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our friendly Fox team or come see us at any of our Fox locations. You can also learn more on our Identity Theft Prevention and Online Security pages.