Truity Credit Union Blog

Voice scams, or “vishing”, are becoming more common, with scammers using phone calls or messages to trick people into giving away personal information.

These fraudsters often pretend to be legitimate businesses, government agencies, or even your own family members. We’ve created a list of ways to spot voice scams and how you can protect yourself.

How Voice scams work

• Impersonation: Scammers may pretend to be from your bank or a government agency. They’ll tell you there’s a problem and ask for personal details from you so that you’ll “verify” your identity.
• Urgency: These scammers will create a sense of urgency, warning you that you need to act fast or risk losing something, like access to your account or a prize you’ve won.
• Requesting Information: They might ask for things like your Social Security Number, banking details, or card information.

How can you protect yourself?

• Be Skeptical: If you receive calls out of the blue, don’t give information away.
• Don’t trust caller ID: scammers can use fake caller ID to make their calls seem genuine.
• Use two-factor authentication: when possible, use this extra layer of security that requires a secondary form of verification on top of your passwords.
• Verify claims through official sites: If you think you’ve been targeted, contact the agency or company they were claiming to be from, using a legitimate number.
• Educate your family and friends: Make sure your loved ones, especially seniors, know that these are popular tactics for scammers and educate them on how to handle it.

Remember if the call or message feels wrong or you feel pressures, it probably is a scam. By staying cautious and informative, you can protect yourself from voices scams and avoid falling victim to fraud.