Security Alerts
Watch Out for Identity Theft Scams
Your security is important to us at Pacific Resource Credit Union. We want you to be fully aware of all the ways your personal may be stolen from you, so that you are more prepared and may better avoid these scams. Please read the information below closely.
"Phishing" Scams
One of the most common forms of identity theft is called "phishing."This method of identity theft has been around for quite some time. In a "phishing" scam, the potential victim receives an email that claims to be from their bank or credit card company, asking them to update their account information and password by clicking on a link that appears to be a legitimate website. However, the link is really to the criminal's site, where the information the victim enters is stored in a database and used by the criminals for extremely unethical and illegal purposes.
If you receive an email that asks for your sensitive information, do not respond to it, and DO NOT ENTER ANY PRIVATE INFORMATION. Rather, open a new window in your browser, and go to the company's website directly.
"Vishing" Scams
With a relatively new form of communication called "Voice Over Internet Protocol"(VOIP) come new methods to separate you from your money and private information. Be aware of how these scams work so that it won't happen to you!
VOIP enables telephone calls to be made over the web, which makes it extremely difficult to track the location or identity of the caller. Criminals use this anonymity to perpetrate an increasingly common scam called "vishing."
In a "vishing" scam, the potential victim gets an email like in a traditional "phishing" scheme, but instead of being directed to an Internet site, the victim is given a number to call and asked to provide information over the phone. Those who call the "customer service" number -- which is the perpetrator's VoIP account, not a real financial institution -- are led through a series of voice-prompted menus that ask for account numbers, passwords, and other critical information.
Victims may also be contacted by phone instead of by email. The caller might even have some personal information, including account or credit card numbers, in order to create a false sense of security. They then ask for further information for their records. DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION.
Don't Let It Happen to You!
Greet a phone call or email seeking any personal information with a healthy dose of skepticism. If you are unsure if the caller is a legitimate representative of your credit card company or financial institution, hang up and call that institution directly using the customer service number provided to you when the account was opened.
Read more about "Phishing" at the Federal Trade Commision's website.
