Scammers pose as Member One Federal Credit Union in texts

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ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Member One Federal Credit Union and the Better Business Bureau are alerting Member One customers about a text message scam.

Member One customers, as well as non-customers received a text message that appeared to be from the credit union stating that an account has been compromised and financial information needs to be confirmed to solve the issue; however, it's actually a scam from an outside source.

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Member One Federal Credit Union issued this statement, "We are aware of the issue and are working to rectify the problem. Member One has not been compromised, nor has any member data. Member One does not alert customers via text message in this manner and would never request banking information through a text message or by email. Recipients are encouraged to delete the text message and not respond. Do not click on any link or download any attachment included in the text message as it may download malware onto your device."

Both organizations are warning customers to not click on the link attached in those text message or log in from any insecure website.

The BBB offers these tops regarding suspicious and fraudulent text messages:

  • Do not respond to unwanted texts or emails from questionable sources. Several mobile service providers will allow you to forward unwanted spam texts by simply forwarding it to 7726 (or "SPAM") to enable the providers to prevent future unwanted texts from the specific sender
  • Do not reply with "STOP" to phishing/scam texts. Doing this will confirm to the scammers that your phone number is valid and you may be targeted for more scams.
  • Unwanted commercial text messages are covered under the FCC's "CAN-SPAM" act, just as unwanted emails are. If you receive any of these unwanted text messages you can file a complaint with the FCC & the FTC. Contact the FCC at www.fcc.gov or (888) 225-5322 and the FTC at www.ftc.gov or (877) 382-4357.
  • Treat unsolicited e-mail or text message requests for financial information or other personal data with suspicion. Unsolicited means the e-mail or text wasn't initiated in response to an action by the consumer.  Do not reply to the unsolicited text or respond by clicking on a link within the unsolicited e-mail message.
  • Look up phone numbers listed in e-mails or text messages.  Do not call any phone numbers listed in the message, they may not be legitimate.  Verify the company's actual phone number via the telephone book or by calling the BBB for assistance.
  • Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the message to verify if it is genuine. Visit a secure Web site or call a phone number that you know to be legitimate.
  • Only enter personal information on a secure Web site that you know to be legitimate. Your bank or credit card issuer would never ask you to send Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords, or PINs within an e-mail message. When entering personal data at a Web site, look for a "locked padlock" in the browser or "https" at the beginning of the Web site address to make sure the site is secure.
  • Be cautious. Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions. Notify your bank immediately of any erroneous or suspicious transactions.

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