There are several steps you can take to protect yourself and others from fraud and scams.

Criminals and con artists use many scams to target unsuspecting people who have access to money. Consumer scams can happen through phone, mail, e-mail, or the internet. They can occur in person, at home, or at a business.

Here are some tips to protect yourself from scams:

• Don’t share numbers or passwords for accounts, credit cards, or Social Security.
• Never pay upfront for a promised prize. It’s a scam if you are told you must pay fees or taxes to receive a prize or other financial windfall. Never agree to pay, for any online solicitation, by gift cards or other means that are difficult to trace.
• After hearing a sales pitch, take time to compare prices. Ask for information in writing and read it carefully.
• Too good to be true? Ask yourself why someone is trying so hard to give you a “great deal.” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Watch out for deals that are only “good today” and that pressure you to act quickly. Walk away from high-pressure sales tactics that don’t allow you time to read a contract or get legal advice before signing. Additionally, don’t fall for sales pitches saying you need to pay immediately by wiring the money or sending it by courier.
• Put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Go to www.donotcall.gov or call (888) 382-1222.

Take a look at other Consumer Financial Protection Bureau questions regarding financial scams or check the FTC’s website to stay up-to-date on the most recent scams.

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, scammers will continue to try to take advantage of you. They might attempt to reach you by phone, email, postal mail, text, or social media. Always be on the alert to protect your money and your identity. Don't share personal information like your bank account number, Social Security number, or date of birth.

Common Pandemic-era Scams
The first thing you need to do is to resist the temptation to post a photo of your vaccination card online, anywhere! Scammers look for vaccination cards on social media platforms and anywhere else they can access them. Vaccination cards allow them to steal your name, birth date, and other personal information. With this information, they can acquire more details about you and target you as a victim.  

Scammers change their methods frequently but here is a list of scams currently out and about:

• COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and treatment scams - Be aware that scammers are targeting Medicare recipients. They're offering COVID-19 testing in an attempt to steal personal information.
• Charity scams - Fake charities pop up during disasters. And scammers can also claim to be from real charities. 
• Checks from the government - Scammers say they’re from the IRS or another government agency. They ask for your personal information, try to charge you fake fees for getting your stimulus check, or offer you a way to get the money early. 
• FDIC and banking - People pretend to call from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or your bank. They say your bank account or your ability to get cash is in danger and ask for your personal information.
• Grandparent and military service member scams - A scammer pretends to be a grandchild or a military service member. They say they're sick or in trouble because of the coronavirus. They contact you asking to wire them money to pay for fake medical or travel expenses.
• COVID-19 funeral assistance scam - Scammers pretend to be from FEMA's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program and call to offer program registration to family members of people who have died from COVID-19. In this way, the scammers can steal the family members' Social Security numbers and other forms of identification.

To learn more about other common scams as reported by the US Government, click here.

To avoid falling victim to a new wave of ongoing phone and internet scams known as “Computer Takeover Scams”, please do not provide any banking or personal information, including your Parsons FCU account or routing numbers, to anyone contacting you via phone or email.

Scammers, posing as representatives of well-known companies, will contact you about a refund or a credit balance or, in some cases, a pop-up will appear on your screen alerting you to contact tech support about issues with your computer or online access. The scammers will then persuade you to provide your account and routing information, or attempt to gain remote control of your online banking access and locking you out. Be alert and refuse to share any information with these solicitors.

As a general rule, unless you initiate a call or send an email to a business or person you know, you should avoid providing any information to those who call or email you unsolicited, requesting sensitive or even basic information.

We are here to help you any which way we can. If you are unsure about what you need to do if you think you have been targeted by this new wave of scammers, please contact one of our member service representatives at (800) 765-4527 or email us at mbrserv@parsonsfcu.com. We will make sure your Parsons FCU related security and interests are fully protected.