Common Financial Scams
If you receive a text message, email, or phone call that appears to be from a
reputable company or Heartland Credit Union
itself and this message warns of a serious problem that needs your
immediate attention (usually involving your personal or financial
information), be on the alert!
No legitimate organization will contact you on an urgent matter
using any of these methods. If the message contains a contact phone number or a website
address to visit for confirmation, DELETE IT and call the phone number
or visit the website address you have saved in your records.
Spotting the Fakes
There are many scams with different pitches, all designed to convince
you to reveal personal information. Some scammers contact you by phone,
others use email. Either way, here are some facts to help you spot the
bad apples:
- Is your heart pounding?
The goal of most scammers is to get you so excited or frightened
that you react without thinking. Legitimate financial institutions do
NOT want you to feel like you're on a rollercoaster when you invest
with them. If an email makes your pulse race with promises of easy
cash or fear of frozen assets, it's probably a fake.
- Heartland Credit Union will NEVER ask for your PIN number.
If anyone ever asks you to "validate" this piece of
information, you should call the credit union immediately and report
the incident.
- Heartland Credit Union and its affiliates will NEVER call or email
you regarding "an urgent or threatening condition concerning
your account." Our policy is to send all official notices via
regular mail and to also post these announcements on our
website.
If you request access to your account (whether by telephone or
online), we will ask for private financial information to verify your
identity. A simple rule is to never give out this information unless YOU
initiated the transaction.
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What Scams Are Currently in Circulation?
 There are many websites you
can visit to find out what scams are floating around. Visit
OnGuardOnline.gov
for tips from the
federal government to help you guard
against Internet fraud, secure your
computer, and protect your personal information.
Our check provider Liberty
also provides an online
Consumer Education Fraud Series, free to all credit union members.
Finally,
scambusters.org
is a fun site to visit,
tracking and reporting on a wide range of identity theft scams, urban myths, and fake victim fund
scams circulating the internet.
If You or a Loved One Get Taken...
If you responded to
such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please
notify Heartland Credit Union immediately of the scheme. You should also
change your account’s PIN, and take any additional action recommended by
our staff to protect your account.
Additionally, you
can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail
with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at
ncua@ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, and the National White Collar Crime Center.
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