'Tis the season for fraudsters to ramp up their efforts to get your sensitive information and ultimately your money! Avoid getting hooked in a phishing scam by familiarizing yourself with the fraud terms and how it works.

Phishing

This is the practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Watch our short video for more information about phishing.

Vishing

Voice phishing, or vishing, is a tactic where fraudsters utilize phone calls to trick victims into providing personal or financial information by posing as their financial institution or other trusted organizations.

Smishing

This is when messages are sent out as scam SMS texts or via various messaging apps, such as WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and others. In both instances, fraudsters will build a rapport with their victim to encourage or coerce them into sharing sensitive details.

 Things to remember:

  • Essential will never call, text or email requesting personal or account information.
  • Fraudsters can have the ability to make a phone number or email address look legit, so do not let your guard down just because the phone number looks local/familiar. 
  • Do not click any links from texts you randomly receive.
  • If you receive a phone call from a family member who is in immediate danger and they are requesting a ransom or personal information, please attempt to call your family member or other individuals involved with this family member to be sure they are safe.
  • Slow down and ask yourself questions. If it seems fishy, hang up and call us at our listed toll-free number, 888-369-2207.

Additional Precautions

  • Only use legitimate sites when shopping online (when an offer is too good to be true, it probably is).
  • Cardholders should always use a secure network.
  • Limit what information you share online. Your security questions associated with your accounts can be guessed with personal clues shared by the consumer.
  • Always review and check your statements and credit reports.