Can an employee of the Credit Union fall for a scam? In short, yes. In this blog, I’ll share how I almost fell for a government impersonation scam and provide tips to help keep you safe.
As part of a team that writes these blogs, we spend quite a bit of time learning about scams. You’d think this would make us hyper-aware and always be on our guard. But anyone, yes, anyone can fall victim. Here’s what happened.
It was a busy day at work, and my focus was on a deadline when the phone rang. The caller identified themselves as a sheriff’s officer, asked me to verify some basic personal information, and explained that a warrant was out for my arrest for failing to appear for jury duty.
The caller then sent me an image of a signed United States Postal Service registered letter for jury duty. I explained that the address on the letter was more than 25 years old, so I did not appear for jury duty, because I never received the notice. And that the signature on the registered letter was not mine. At this point, his tone became more aggressive, and he passed me to his “commanding officer,” who sent me a copy of the arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court via text message. Panic began to set in. I was told to appear at the city courthouse immediately, a 45-minute drive during rush hour, or I would face arrest. The commanding officer told me not to tell anyone about this and to stay on the call on the drive to the courthouse or risk violating confidentiality laws, which could lead to imprisonment and additional fines.
I knew I had done nothing wrong, but the commanding officer became more insistent, threatening, and began yelling at me. I offered to visit the sheriff’s office that was much closer to my location, but was told in no uncertain terms that this was not an option; I had to go to the city courthouse, where I needed to show ID and verify my signature to the one on my debit or credit card. I am now in full panic, imagining being arrested and put in jail for something that was not my fault. I took a second look at the arrest warrant and began searching the internet to verify the information was valid. The name of the commanding officer showed up online. The address of the city courthouse was valid. The name of the judge was valid. But then I noticed an error. My name wasn’t on the warrant; it was someone else’s. When I questioned the commanding officer, he explained it as a clerical error and sent the correct warrant. On the second warrant, my name was accurate, but instead of my home state, the arrest warrant came from a state I have never lived in. When I questioned the commanding officer about these errors, the phone line went dead; he had hung up.
I was shaken and embarrassed. All the warning signs about scams came flooding into my mind. I was lucky, I didn’t share any private personal information or send any money. Since this experience, I’m more alert, careful, and skeptical of unexpected calls. Here is some information on government impersonation scams and tips to help you stay on guard.
Government impersonation scams: Like I did, you receive a call or text from someone claiming to be with the IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare, law enforcement, or another government agency, claiming you have unpaid taxes or bills and threatening to arrest or deport you or cut off your benefits if you don’t pay or provide personal identifying information immediately.
Play it safe:
- Medicare and the Social Security Administration will not call asking for your bank information or Social Security number.
- Law enforcement agencies will not ask for payment over the phone or via gift cards or cryptocurrency.
- There will never be a fee charged to obtain a Social Security or Medicare card.
- Don’t trust a name or phone number on Caller ID. Scammers use government-sounding names to make you trust them and use technology to disguise their phone numbers to make them look like the call is coming from a legitimate government agency.
- Never give out or confirm financial or personal information over the phone.
- Keep your sensitive personal and financial documents secure at all times.
- Review all medical bills to spot any services you didn’t receive.
Tips to help you identify fraud
Identifying a scammer isn’t easy. Anyone, regardless of age, can fall victim. Remember, these criminals are not just after your money, they also want your personal information. We’ve covered some tips to help you address a government impersonation scam, here are a few more ways to help you detect a scam. The person contacting you via phone or text is:
- Pressuring you to make decisions fast and may threaten you.
- Using a fake Caller ID to disguise their actual phone number. Just because the phone number on your Caller ID is the same as your financial institution or credit card company doesn’t mean it is.
- Pressuring you not to consult with friends and family.
- Urging you to hand over personal information like your Social Security number or financial institution account numbers.
- Always remember: if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
What to do if you feel you’re being or have been scammed.
Follow these three steps.
- Start by doing nothing. Do NOT click on links or respond to unexpected messages. If you believe it may be an authentic message, contact the bank, business, or government agency using a phone number on an account statement, credit card, or a website you know is real. Do NOT use the phone number provided in the text or email. Hang up the phone.
- Take a breath. Receiving a notice about suspicious activity or warrant for your arrest can get your heart racing (mine did). Scammers know this and often pressure you to act quickly to prevent further risk to your accounts, safety, and security. Don’t panic. Begin investigating the issue by contacting the government agency, business, or financial institution using the methods described above. Call your financial institution or credit card company using the phone number on your statement or the back of your credit card to alert them you suspect you’ve been a victim of fraud.
- Take action. If you suspect someone is trying to scam you, report the incident to the FTC. Your report is shared with more than 2,800 law enforcers. You can also file a complaint or report with the FBI. Report the fraud attempt to your credit union or bank. If you feel you’ve been scammed, notify your financial institution and law enforcement immediately. When I called the local sheriff’s department, the officer I spoke with shared they get these types of government impersonation scams all the time. Their suggestion: hang up!
Never send money or give your bank account details, credit card details, or other personal information to anyone you don’t know or trust.
To help limit illegal and unwanted calls, contact your phone provider. Here are additional call-blocking tools and resources from the Federal Communications Commission.
Final thoughts.
Unfortunately, protecting yourself from scammers and fraudsters is getting more difficult as their techniques become more sophisticated. You must remain vigilant and cautious of anyone or any offer related to your finances and personal information. Here are a few resources filled with information to help protect you.
- Visit our Security Center and Current Scams pages for tips and information to help you keep your guard up.
- The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging has created a detailed report on fraud targeting older individuals.
Remember, the Credit Union will never text or call you asking for your private information, such as your Social Security number, account or credit card number, username, password, one-time passcode, etc., over the phone unless you initiated the call directly to us.
If you receive a text or call from someone claiming to be a Credit Union employee asking for your account information (such as your online banking username, password, one-time passcode, credit card number, account number, etc.), do not give it to them. Even if the caller has an identifying piece of information about you, or the call appears to be from our 800 number. This call is NOT legitimate. As mentioned above, scammers can spoof phone numbers to make it appear that the call is from a trusted source. The Credit Union will not randomly call you and ask for this information. Hang up and contact us directly at 800.877.2345. Be safe. Be vigilant. Be aware.
