SCAMS, SCAMS, SCAMS!
Every year, scammers and identity thieves steal billions of dollars from unsuspecting individuals. We at NCCU work hard to keep you, our members, safe from scams and identity theft. One of the ways to do this is by educating you! We want you to know what types of scams are out there, and how you can prevent them from happening to you! Here are a few examples of scams happening recently:
You receive a phone call or an email, supposedly coming from a popular software company or tech support department, claiming that your computer is infected, and they can fix it for you (for a small fee, of course). Then, as you allow them remote access to your computer to “fix it”, they steal any pertinent information you may have saved on your computer, like usernames and passwords, credit card and debit card information, and sometimes even plant a computer virus.
You receive a phone call or email stating that you’ve inherited a large sum of money from a long-lost relative. Or that you’ve won the Lottery or Sweepstakes. But first, you must pay the fees or taxes.
You receive a notification from the Social Security Administration that a scammer has tried to “take over” your Social Security direct deposit by posing as you and changing the routing info.
Your new girlfriend/boyfriend that you met online is suddenly asking for money, or an old friend contacts you on social media and wants to send you money, or vice versa. Sometimes your friend needs you to purchase money orders/travel cards/cashier’s checks/cell phones/etc. For them to use that money. Or they want access to your online banking or remote deposit, so they can “send you money” to help you out.
All of these, and many others, are examples of SCAMS that we’ve encountered, so we want to warn you about these things BEFORE they happen to you! There’s way too much to fit into this little article, so watch for upcoming issues as we continue this conversation. For now, please promise you won’t give out any information to scammers. DO NOT give your Social Security number, or ANY banking information, to ANYONE! Keep your identity YOURS!
Please call us at (715) 762-3208 option 2 if you think you’ve been scammed, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
CONFIDENCE & ROMANCE SCAMS
From the desk of Kristy Scheuermann, Member Services Operations Manager
Friends, I know this is a sensitive topic, but I NEED to talk to you about this!! During the last few months, I have seen way too many of these “romance scams” come across my desk. I want you to know that it could happen to ANYONE!!! I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now, thinking, no way will that ever happen to me. It’s not just online dating; this is about a fraudster gaining your CONFIDENCE over a period of time, so they can eventually scam you!
It could be a social media request from a friend or relative, you think nothing of it, same pictures, same interests, they must have started a new profile. They even message you and ask how the kids are doing!
You could get an email or friend request from your long-lost sibling/child that you’ve never met, but they found you because of a DNA test, and they want to visit!
Or it could be someone you met on an online group, everything between you just seems to click, they like all the same things you do, they’ve had similar past hardships, and you just connect instantly!
These scammers are tricky! They are sly! They’re convincing! They’re professionals in their field – THE SCAM FIELD! They tell you exactly what you want to hear. You believe wholeheartedly you’ve found a new friend or partner, maybe even your soul mate! Or that this must be my long-lost sister, I mean, how else could they know all this information about me? Please be extremely careful when sharing information with ANYONE, regardless of how many days, weeks, or even months you’ve been talking with them. Especially someone you met online or through social media, and you haven’t met them in person yet! It’s not just a coincidence that they like all the same things you like and seem to know exactly what your interests are because they’ve been trolling your social media for weeks now, learning all about you!
They take the time to build your trust, gaining your CONFIDENCE, slowly gathering all the information they need. You get to know each other, you talk all the time – whether it be emails, social media, messaging, or even on the phone! (I mean, it can’t be a scam, I talked to them on the phone, right?) Then suddenly, this new friend is having troubles financially. They really want to come and see you in person, but they just don’t have enough money for the plane ticket. You really want to finally meet them, so why not pay for that plane ticket? I mean, what’s $1,200.00 to finally meet my soul mate, right? Or maybe their car broke down, the furnace died, their parents are sick, they have a medical emergency, they want to invest in this amazing new product, or they can’t pay their employees because they’re waiting on a big check from a customer, and they just need this much money to get through the week.
Sometimes they even promise to pay you back… So, you wire them the money, or give them access to your debit card, or send them cash, whatever they want, you do it, after all, you trust them. But something comes up, and they can’t make it to see you in person. Then another “emergency” happens, and they need more money. There’s always another emergency, but you have still not met this person face to face, because something always comes up!
There are even scammers lately that will SEND YOU money!! They received an inheritance, and they want to share it with you, because after all, they love you, care about you, and want to share the wealth. Or an old friend has this amazing business opportunity, and they thought of you! All you need to do is fill out this application, and they will send you a sign-on bonus and will let you know what you need to do next! Then, you receive a random direct deposit into your account, or there’s a check being deposited via Mobile Deposit. (I mean, this can’t be a scam if they’re giving me money, right?) Next, they want you to send some of that money back or transfer it to someone else. You must mail them cash, or buy gift cards for certain stores, or purchase pre-paid cell phones, or money orders, or they have you download a new APP on your phone to send them the money.
Oftentimes, they tell you, “Don’t tell anyone, this is just between you and me!” Guess what, you just became a MONEY MULE, which makes you an accessory to a crime – money laundering is a crime! We don’t want that for you!!
Please listen up! All the above are true stories of scammers! Please don’t let it be YOU that’s getting scammed! Keep this in mind when your friendly Member Service Representative asks you some pressing questions about this check you received in the mail, or that random direct deposit or Mobile Deposit that’s out of the ordinary for you. We are only asking these questions because it is setting off RED FLAGS to us! We need to be sure that this check you’re cashing, or the direct deposit you just mysteriously received, is legit! We are only asking these things to protect YOU!
So, once again, please don’t give out any information to scammers. DO NOT give your Social Security number, or ANY banking information, to ANYONE! Keep your identity YOURS! And please be careful not to fall for any of these confidence scams… BE SAFE, MY FRIENDS!!!!! If you feel that you might be a victim of a confidence scam, please STOP the conversation! I know it may be embarrassing to admit, but call me, and I will listen and offer an unbiased and professional perspective.
Don’t just take it from me. Here are some interesting articles: