There has been a significant rise lately in phishing scams. These are text messages or emails that attempt to get your personal information. This rise is due in part to improvements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, which becomes more sophisticated with each day.
Businesses are using AI to help improve customer service wait times, for instance, using Chatbots to answer consumers’ frequently asked questions online. Unfortunately, fraudsters also use this tool to help their “business.” Their techniques have become so clever that it’s getting harder to tell if the text or email you receive is legitimately from a business you use frequently or if it’s a scam.
To protect yourself from scammers trying to access your account, be suspicious of any text or email that:
- Comes from an unknown phone number, claiming to be from the credit union, telling you there is a problem with your account.
- Asks you for your personal, confidential information. This includes your online banking username, password, one-time passcodes, Social Security number, account number, debit or credit card number, PIN or CVV.
- Uses scare tactics or claims to be “urgent,” requiring you to act immediately.
- Asks you to transfer money via a link.
If you do receive such a request, do not click or respond to it. Call us immediately at 352-588-2732 to let us know. Take a screenshot of the message – we may ask you to email it to us. You may also want to report the suspicious text to law enforcement to the Federal Trade Commission. Then, delete the message and block the sender. If you did click on a link or replied to the message, call us immediately so we can check and secure your account.
San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union is dedicated to protecting your accounts from fraud. Anytime you question the validity of a message that appears to come from us, please call us immediately. We will happily review your account and confirm the situation. Your vigilance will help you stay safe.