GREAT FALLS — Montana Credit Union in Great Falls says they have seen an increase in fraudulent phishing attempts lately with text messages and phone calls.
They stress that Montana Credit Union will never call a member to verify your information and/or debit/credit card numbers.
They advise that if you receive a phone call or text asking for your financial information, you should hang up and call the credit union directly at 406-727-2210 to verify the call or text’s legitimacy.
The Montana Office of Consumer Protection website offers the following tips to avoid getting scammed:
- NEVER give out personal information to someone soliciting it from you over the phone or the internet. Banks will NEVER call and ask for your personal information.
- NEVER wire or give money to someone you don’t know. Never send a gift card or prepaid debit card to someone you do not know. Even if you think it’s someone you know, follow-up to make sure before you wire any money.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
- Get a security freeze on your credit.
- Use common sense and do your due diligence: ask around, talk to others, call us if you have any doubts or questions.
- Be skeptical, resist high pressure tactics, take your time.
- Ignore postcards and advertisements for free products, sweepstakes wins, magazine sales, etc. If you did not enter into the lottery or sweepstakes that is contacting you, you did not win.
- Register with the National Do Not Call Registry.
- Keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. Be alert to small charges that may appear insignificant, but will add up over time.
- Shred any financial documents or other documents that contain personal information (Social Security numbers, birth dates, personal contact information, bank account or credit card information).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says that phishing schemes often use spoofing techniques to lure you in and get you to take the bait. These scams are designed to trick you into giving information to criminals that they shouldn’t have access to.
The agency says that in a phishing scam, you might receive an email that appears to be from a legitimate business and is asking you to update or verify your personal information by replying to the email or visiting a website. The web address might look similar to one you’ve used before. The email may be convincing enough to get you to take the action requested.
But once you click on that link, you’re sent to a spoofed website that might look nearly identical to the real thing—like your bank or credit card site—and asked to enter sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, banking PINs, etc. These fake websites are used solely to steal your information.
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