Coronavirus: Scammers follow the headlines

February 10, 2020

by Colleen Tressler

Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding the Coronavirus. They’re setting up websites to sell bogus products, and using fake emails, texts, and social media posts as a ruse to take your money and get your personal information.

The emails and posts may be promoting awareness and prevention tips, and fake information about cases in your neighborhood. They also may be asking you to donate to victims, offering advice on unproven treatments, or contain malicious email attachments.

Here are some tips to help you keep the scammers at bay:

On Sept. 7th, Equifax, one of the primary credit reporting agencies in the United States, revealed that a data breach exploited a website weakness in order to access the personal information, including credit card and social security numbers, of as many as 143 million Americans.

You may be wondering if this affects you. To find out if you’ve been impacted; go to Equifax security page at: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com

Looking out for your security and best interests are always a Top Priority at Champion Credit Union.

Here are some ways to help protect your accounts and information:

Always monitor your accounts for any suspicious activity.
Monitor your credit activity. AnnualCreditReport.com will allow you to view your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once per year at no cost to you.
Update passwords and usernames often by using a combination of letters (capital and lower case), numbers and special characters (e.g. & or %).
Set credit and debit card usage notifications.
Set travel notifications.
Sign up for MasterCard© SecureCode (click here to sign up now)
Sign up for Verified by Visa© (click here to sign up today)

What is Phishing?

In a phishing scam, fraudsters send emails, text messages, or phone message, targeting a specific organization. The fraudsters craft their correspondence to make it appear as though they are sent by the recipient’s financial institution or trusted retailer. The fraudsters will attempt to collect personal and/or financial information by sending attachments infected with software for stealing passwords, or by including a link in the email with a request to provide personal and/or financial information, or by requesting the recipient to contact a number and provide personal and/or financial information, or even threatening to disable the recipients card or account unless the recipient click a link or provides the information requested.

Champion Credit Union will not ask for personal or financial information via email or text message. Please be cautious and aware and do not provide this information to anyone, even if the email or website appears legitimate. If you have any doubt regarding whom you are speaking to or about the email or message you received, do not provide the information and contact the credit union directly. (Do not reply to email or use the phone number in the email to contact the credit union).

Something for Nothing?

Congratulations! You’ve been notified that you won… but have you? Many consumers are falling victim to scams perpetrated to obtain information or money from them.

Recent attempts by fraudsters include sending consumers fraudulent checks that may also contain a notice that they have won a lottery or similar prize pool. The consumers are also asked to pay a fee (it may be stated that the check is to help cover these costs) to an ‘agent’ to claim their prize. The checks are most often counterfeit or fraudulent, but consumers cash them and send a portion to the ‘agent’ thinking they will receive a large sum of money. The consumer never hears from the ‘agent’ again and when the check is returned, may be legally responsible for the funds they have received—including the ones they sent to claim their alleged prize.

Don’t fall victim to a scam. Protect yourself and remember these five (fun but true) pieces of wisdom:

You can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter.
No one from Africa or any other country is going to give you 10% of anything
If you have to pay to claim it, you didn’t really win it.
If it is too good to be true, it is.
No one runs a lottery by using just email addresses.

Also see: Identity Theft.

Fraud/Scam Alerts