We have had at least three instances in the last 24-hours of fraudsters reaching out to WCU members from a phone number that appears to be our legitimate 800 number and trying to trick them into providing information to compromise their account. Below is a summary of the scam, and what to do to protect yourself.
Once connected, the fraudsters claim to be our fraud department and attempt to collect additional information about the accounts by making up a fake “fraudulent” transaction. They then ask the member to confirm full card number, expiration date, the three digits on the back of the card, and social security number.
The fraudsters then say they will block the card to set the member at ease, and then using the information they have stolen to create a fake card, reset the PIN, and then going on a shopping spree.
The best way to fight against this is by not giving any personal information to somebody who calls. Simply hang up and call us back at 800-773-3236 Even if it’s after hours you will be connected to a trustworthy source. Remember even if it is a legitimate call from our Fraud Department they will understand when you say you want to call us back/
Here are some key things to remember:
- We will never ask for personal info to confirm your identity if we are the ones calling
- We do not have your CVV (three numbers on the back of your card) on file, and will never use it to confirm your identity
- We will never call more than three times to try to confirm fraud
- We do not currently send out text messages, and if we start they would come from a short code (being a simple five digit number) and not a full phone number
- Our fraud number is not our regular 800 number – but you can call that and follow the prompts to get the fraud department –department would NOT be calling from our 800 number as shown below.
Here is an example of one of our members activities from last night. This fraudster called 22 times, and sent a text from a full phone number. Luckily the WCU member was aware of the fraud signs and what to look for, and waited to come talk to us this morning rather than responding to the calls or message.
