Financial Institution Imposter Scams

You get an unknown text, email, or call that appears to be from a reputable financial institution, such as SECU, claiming there is a problem with your account. You are encouraged to provide your card number, personal information, online credentials, or a One-Time Passcode / Two-factor Authentication. This scam is known as phishing and is used to get personal information and con people out of money.

The scammer may claim to be from the fraud department and convince you that your accounts are at risk for identity theft. They may even tell you there is an employee of the financial institution involved in defrauding your account and encourage you not to say anything to any employees in the branch. They encourage you to withdraw large amounts of cash to be sent through a Cryptocurrency ATM to an account that will keep your funds safe while the investigation is ongoing. You are told that if anyone asks, you should fabricate a reason for the cash withdrawals.

• SECU will not recommend you withdraw cash and send money through a Cryptocurrency ATM.
• SECU will not ask you for your online Member Access credentials. These are private and should never be shared.
• SECU will not call, text or email to ask for your personal or financial information such as user IDs, one-time passcodes, passwords, account numbers, or card information.
  
• If we need to contact you regarding your accounts, we may ask security questions to validate your identity, but we will not ask you for complete account numbers, card numbers or online credentials.