Protect yourself from phone scams
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Special to the News
Alabama ONE Credit Union wants to help individuals recognize and avoid phone scams to ensure their accounts and identity are safe.
As such, the financial institution is offering the following tips to avoid scams, which sometimes ramp up during the holiday seasons.
Know who’s calling or texting.
If you see a phone number you don’t recognize, let the call go to voicemail instead of talking to the person or robot on the other end.
This is a start toward protecting yourself against a phone scam, but you should still be aware that thieves have the technology to make it look like a call or text is coming from a different phone number. It’s a practice called spoofing. Criminals use numbers to make it look like the call or text is coming from a reputable business.
Don’t cave to pressure.
A common tactic in phone scams is to try and scare you into acting quickly. The scammers are hoping that you panic and force you to follow their directions. Alabama ONE will never contact you to ask for your personal info or credit card information.
Don’t give out account numbers or passwords.
Because of spoofing and scams, you can’t trust the person on the other end of the phone when they say that they’re from your credit union. If they ask you for personal information like your account number, password, or PIN, do not give it out.
Hang up, and if you are worried that the real company is trying to get a hold of you, look up a real phone number on their website or your bills and call them back. Alabama ONE will never ask you to supply login information over the phone.
Don’t say “yes.”
If you pick up the phone and you’re not sure who you’re talking to, avoid saying the word “yes,” especially if the voice asks if you can hear them. Some experts are worried that scammers could be recording your voice and use it later to say you authorized a charge to your account. Be sure to monitor your Alabama ONE accounts regularly for any suspicious activity.
Please note that Alabama ONE will never call for your personal or account information. If you have questions about communications from Alabama ONE call 1-800-225-0110.
For more information on avoiding and reporting scams visit https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams or click here.
