Account Safety Tips

Account Safety Tips

How to Avoid Phishing Emails and Fraudulent Websites

- By Heartland Credit Union Fraud Prevention Team

Almost daily, people receive phishing emails or phone calls with people claiming to be from national financial service providers. Many credit unions have reported that their members are receiving e-mails and calls claiming to be from the member's credit union.

Why Security Matters

A secure credit union protects your accounts, but scammers are constantly working to steal your money and your identity. That’s why it’s essential to have a financial partner like HCU with strong security measures in place — and just as important for you to stay alert when you receive unexpected financial communications. When we work together, we can keep your financial information and your identity safe. And that peace of mind is something every member deserves.”

HCU's Commitment to Your Financial Safety

Heartland Credit Union is committed to the security of our members' accounts. We have strong procedures and safeguards in place to protect members from fraud. But scammers revise their tactics, and we advise all our members to be careful when receiving emails, texts or phone calls that appear to come from HCU or other financial organizations. Be especially careful if you weren't expecting any correspondence. 

“We work to protect our members from fraud by providing secure tools, monitoring, and ongoing education to help keep them aware,” says Adam L. VP of security and risk mitigation.

How to Avoid Scams

Beware of Urgent Messages

Phishing attempts often try to create a false sense of urgency. For example, scammers may claim there is an issue with your account or card to pressure you into acting quickly. These messages are designed to alarm you, but they do not reflect any real problem with your Heartland Credit Union accounts. Always remember: legitimate communications from us will never ask you to provide personal or account details through email, text, or unsolicited calls.

For example, an email may ask you to “update”, “validate” or “confirm” account information, including passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs). Some may insinuate that changes could happen to your account or a card will be disabled. More recently, text messages claiming that the victim's card has been blocked or deactivated have been sent and they ask the victim to call a phone number. The e-mail addresses and phone numbers of the victims are not obtained from Heartland Credit Union itself but from external sources, or just randomly created.

Review Credit Union Emails Carefully 

Fraudulent emails may look similar in style to our official HCU emails, but there may be subtle differences. The logo may look slightly different; the formatting and fonts may look odd. If the email doesn't feel authentic, delete it and go to HCU's website directly.  

Be Wary of Suspicious-Looking Websites

Fraudulent emails will include links that may contain malware or a spoofed website. That website appears to be exactly like the credit union's legitimate website. Once the member is redirected to the spoofed website, the scam phishing e-mail asks the member to fill in required information to keep his/her credit/debit cards or online banking active. It will ask for name, account number, card numbers and other sensitive account information.

Because the spoofed websites have a very authentic appearance, members are giving up their credit and debit card information, including PINs. Within minutes of a member responding to a phishing e-mail, there are fraudulent transactions on the credit and debit card accounts.

What to Do

If you get a suspicious email, don't click on any links. Instead, open a new browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) and go to our credit union website directly. 

Watch your accounts carefully. If you see charges that you don't remember, or funds have been withdrawn that you didn't authorize, call us immediately to put a freeze on your account.

How Heartland Credit Union Helps Members Avoid Fraud

Heartland Credit Union works diligently to close down each of the sources of these phishing e-mails and text messages as they are identified. Unfortunately, it may take several days to identify the source and shut down the originator, who may then quickly move to another internet site and continue to operate. Many scams are unable to be traced.