Security

Protect Yourself From "SMISHING"......

How the scam works

The scam is similar to the deceptive e-mail and phone schemes known as phishing and vishing.  In all these forms of fraud, scammers try to trick victims into revealing personal information like account numbers, Social Security numbers, and passwords.  The personal information is then used to withdraw money from victim's accounts or obtain credit in victim's name.

Cell phone users receive a text message that seems to come from a legitimate source, such as a bank, e-commerce site or other financial institution. The message seeks to dupe users into clicking on a link via the phone's internet connection, or into calling a certain phone number.  Both the link and phone are fraudulent, and lead to requests for personal information that can be used for ID theft.

How to protect yourself

• Never respond to unsolicited requests for personal financial information received via text message-even if the request appears to come from a legitimate institution that you do business with. 
• Always know who you're dealing with.  Don't click on links in text messages, or call numbers listed in text messages.  Always type the website address yourself to log into your account.
• Put passwords on all of your financial accounts.
• Monitor your credit report reqularly for signs of irregularities.  

REMEMBER, Mission City Federal Credit Union will never contact you via text message, e-mail, phone or any other way to ask for your account numbers or passwords.