Scammers are getting smarter, using tricks and impersonations to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting victims. They often pose as trusted organizations\u2014like your credit union\u2014to deceive you into handing over sensitive details. But you don\u2019t have to be their next target. ACC\u2019s Student Money Management Office partners with University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) to share the red flags of fraud and how to keep your finances secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Message from University Federal Credit Union<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every day, people fall victim to scammers who steal their money through trickery. Often, scammers pretend to be from your credit union or another important organization in your life. Read on to learn how to spot a fraud \u2014 and be a victor not a victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get a call, text, or email from a scammer, it may seem all about you. The caller or sender may express concern about an overdue payment, an account that is about to be closed, or a tax document you didn\u2019t know about. They may even pretend to be a family member with whom you don\u2019t have much contact and who needs you to do them a favor. Don\u2019t be fooled by their friendly or familiar tone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To assist with an \u201cissue,\u201d the caller or sender may ask you for information you should never give out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sensitive information is personal, and the callers and senders who ask for this are \u201cphishing\u201d \u2014 they are pretending to have a reason to gain access to your accounts. They hope you\u2019ll take the bait so they can buy or borrow using your credit or even steal your identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UFCU and other legitimate callers or senders will never contact you to ask for private information, such as your digital banking username and password, PIN, and Social Security number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a different story if you call in to UFCU Member Services at (512) 467-8080 or (800) 252-8311. If you call us, we will ask for your one-time passcode to verify your identity. Here\u2019s what will happen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The extra few minutes this takes is worth the security of knowing a stranger cannot call UFCU and discuss your accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybersecurity is everyone\u2019s responsibility, and that means paying attention to incoming requests. Try to look past a caller\u2019s tone and focus on their request: If it\u2019s for funds or personal information, decline or cut the communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be difficult to say no to people who contact you, especially if they claim to know you, sound friendly, are persistent, or give you worrying news. You don\u2019t need to be rude. Just say, \u201cIt\u2019s my policy to contact this organization myself. Thank you for your call,\u201d and hang up. If they claimed to be a grandchild or distant family member, say \u201cI\u2019m going to follow up with another family member about your situation,\u201d and hang up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set your mind at ease by reaching out to the organization or a trusted family member using your own contacts \u2014 not a number or link that the caller gave you. Use detective skills and common sense to verify the caller\u2019s statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think you might have already revealed sensitive information, don\u2019t be embarrassed. Call us right away at (512) 467-8080 or (800) 252-8311, or visit a UFCU branch<\/a> during normal business hours. A phone call is a small investment compared to theft or fraud that could have devastating effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forward suspicious emails from UFCU or other banking communications to fraud@ufcu.org<\/a>. Do not click any links in a suspicious text from us; instead, email us the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Credit and debit cards are targets for scammers. UFCU blocks your card and alerts you when we suspect fraudulent activity on your VISA\u00ae card. We try to send you fraud alerts as quickly as possible to identify fraud and stop funds from leaving your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we\u2019ll contact you by text if you have a mobile phone number on record with us. The text message will be sent from the number 236-18. If you don\u2019t respond, we send an automated voice call requesting that you verify the suspicious transaction. Here\u2019s where your part comes in. If you tell us the transaction is valid, we immediately unblock your card. If you say you don\u2019t recognize the transaction, a live agent will help you. Please get back to us as soon as possible after you receive an alert. If a transaction remains suspicious, we may decline the transaction and block or even cancel your card for your protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news? If your card is canceled due to fraud, you can pick up its replacement at any branch<\/a> during business hours. There\u2019s no need to wait for mail delivery, just let the agent know you\u2019ll do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To get your Visa card fraud alerts promptly, keep your contact information up to date. Log in to Online Banking<\/a> and select Profile \u00bb Change Contact Info<\/strong> to review and update your information, or contact us <\/a>and ask a representative to update it for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outsmart the Scammers<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to responding promptly to fraud alerts, your self-defense plan should include these good habits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n With your vigilance and cooperation, together we can protect your funds when scammers come calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to learn more?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Connect with ACC\u2019s Student Money Management team<\/a> to access tools designed to support you or to find a schedule of events and workshops that can help you with your personal finance questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out www.ufcu.org\/ACC<\/a> or visit your local branch<\/a> anytime to chat with a Personal Financial Representative. UFCU Highland Branch<\/a> is now open.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scammers are getting smarter, using tricks and impersonations to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting victims. They often pose as trusted organizations\u2014like your credit union\u2014to deceive you into handing over sensitive details. But you don\u2019t have to be their next target. ACC\u2019s Student Money Management Office partners with University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":50469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[322,553,745],"class_list":["post-50468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-for-you","tag-student-money-management-office","tag-ufcu","tag-ufcu-tips","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Are Scammers After?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Don\u2019t Trust, Always Verify<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Respond to Our Fraud Alerts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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