• Resist pressure. Legitimate companies and charities will give you time to decide. If someone demands you act immediately or won’t take “no” for an answer, it is probably a scam.
• Secure your personal information. Never provide your personally identifiable information (PII) in response to an unsolicited request (something you did not initiate) or after following a link provided by an email or text message.
• Do not open emails/texts from people you don’t know. If you are unsure if a message is legitimate, contact the sender directly using a previously known contact method. Do not reply to the current message.
• Never click on a link provided in an email or text you believe may be fraudulent. Doing so may download malware to your device or take you to a fake website that asks for PII. Check security of the website and the address. The best practice is to go to the website directly from the normal path you use and to not use links.
• Hang up. If a caller is asking for PII, hang up. Contact the company or agency yourself using numbers or addresses that you know are correct. Find phone numbers from resources such as monthly statements or phone books, not from the phone number the caller provided or called from.
• Block unwanted calls and text messages to avoid further contact, and add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry.
• Don’t scan QR codes unless provided by a trusted source, such as directly from someone at the credit union.
• Use strong passwords. Do not use the same password for multiple accounts. Choose passwords that are hard to guess with a variety of numbers, special characters and upper and lower case letters.
• Protect your social media accounts. Make your profile private and do not share personal information that could be used to identify you or compromise your accounts.
• Don’t engage with online strangers. Scammers are known to use a variety of tactics to get you to start a conversation with them. Don’t engage with someone you’ve never met in person and definitely do not send them money.
• Stop and talk to a trusted contact. If you are concerned you are being scammed, reach out to your credit union or someone you trust to identify the next steps.

• Scammers pretend to be organizations you know and trust. Your credit union will never ask you for personally identifiable information over the phone or text. Be wary of caller ID also. It might match were the caller claims to be from, but phone numbers can be spoofed or faked.
• Scammers make you believe there is a problem or a “too good to be true” prize. Fraudsters play off your emotions, making you believe you or someone in your family is in serious trouble. On the flip side, they will entice you with a hard to pass up offer like winning the lottery. In both situations, there will be a catch, and the fraudster will ask you for money – before receiving the prize.
• Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They will force you to stay on the phone, decide fast, or threaten you with serious consequences.
• Scammers will be particular about how they get their pay out. Fraudsters will often give specific instructions on how they want to receive the money – mobile payment apps such as Zelle® or PayPal, cryptocurrency, prepaid gift cards, money wire are a few examples.
• Scammers make you feel alone and tell you to keep it “secret.” Fraudsters will pressure you to keep your interactions private, so they don’t have to answer questions from your family or friends.
• Scammers often make spelling and grammar errors in their messages. Be suspicious of official-looking documents with misspellings or poor grammar. Pay attention to detail before clicking any links or opening unknown emails.

Below are some examples of tactics and strategies used by scammers:

Builds Trust

• The phone call/text/email will claim to be from a business or government agency you know and trust.
• You met the person on social media and they have a romantic interest in you or have a wonderful opportunity for you to invest in.
• You met the person via a mistaken identity text message and have built a relationship but have never met face to face.

Always be sure to verify the source and be wary of strangers when it comes to financial matters. 

Problems or Prize

• Someone is in the hospital or a vehicle accident.
• The person is stuck overseas and needs money for a plane ticket, passport, or to get their stuff out of storage, etc.
• Their money is locked up so they need to borrow money from you.
• They are going to have a friend send you money, and you will then send the money to them via another friend.
• You won a lottery, vehicle or another prize, and to claim the winnings, all you have to do is pay the upfront taxes and fees.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Pressure to Act Immediately

• The scammer will try to keep you on the phone or continue to call you.
• The scammer wants your money quickly, so they will pressure you to “act now” or there will be consequences:
  • “You or your family member will be arrested or go to jail if you don’t pay now.”
  • “Your utilities will be shut off if you don’t pay now.”
  • “I’ll lose my job and won’t be able to feed my family if I don’t get this money from you.”

Scammers use pressure tactics to make you react emotionally instead of thinking rationally. While applying pressure, they may tell you to lie to or withhold information from your financial institution or other trusted people. If they claim your financial institution is involved, hang up immediately and contact your financial institution at a known number immediately.

Pay in a Specific Way

• The scammer will want to be paid in a specific way, such as:
  • Cryptocurrency – go to a cryptocurrency ATM and deposit your cash.
  • Cash – leave cash out in the open, in a box on your doorstep, mail it, etc.
  • Use mobile payment apps such as CashApp or Zelle® to transfer money.
  • Buy a gift card and share the numbers from the back.
  • Cash a check for someone else.

If they are very specific about the payment method, it is likely a scam. 

• Stop communicating with the scammer. If they are on the phone, hang up and block their number.
• Talk to someone you trust. Talk to family, friends, a pastor or a Member Service Representative at Citizens Community Credit Union.
• If you lost money:
  • If the transaction just happened and it was electronic, immediately contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to file a complaint.
  • Consider that all funds you sent are lost, unrecoverable, gone.
  • New scammers will pose as recovery experts and charge you more money to “recover” the lost funds. Don’t fall victim again.
• If you gave out personal information such as your username and password for Online Banking and your Citizens account number(s), please contact us immediately at (515) 955-5524 and ask to speak to a Member Service Representative (MSR). We may need to reset your Online Banking information or even open a new account for you.
• If you gave out personally identifiable information such as your Social Security number:
  • Check your credit report to make sure there are no accounts you are not aware of that have been opened in your name. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call (877) 322-8228 to obtain a credit report.
  • Contact one of the credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your file and they will communicate to the other agencies. A fraud alert on your credit report makes it harder for credit to be opened in your name. You MUST renew the fraud alert each year.
    • Experian: Visit www.experian.com or call (888) 397-3742
    • TransUnion: Visit www.transunion.com or call (800) 680-7289
    • Equifax: Visit www.equifax.com com or call (888) 766-0008
  • Freeze your credit. Place a credit freeze (security freeze) with all three bureaus to help limit access to your credit reports and prevent unauthorized new accounts from being opened using your information.
    • You will need to remove the freeze when applying for a new account.
    • You can lift or suspend the freeze temporarily or permanently. Check with each credit bureau regarding their specific process.
  • Contact the IRS to prevent future tax refund fraud.
  • Consider changing logins and passwords to help better protect your accounts.
  • Always file a report with your local law enforcement.
  • Talk about what happened to you so others can learn from you. Using your voice to teach others about fraud is our strongest tool to fighting this crime.

Reporting Fraud/Scams

• Contact your local law enforcement center.
• Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
• Report the fraud to Iowa Fraud Fighters at www.iowafraudfighters.gov/report-fraud.
• Contact your state and federal representatives. We need help in this battle!

Below is a list of scams our members have encountered. Please be prepared and know how to respond if you come across a professional scam artist.

Text Message Scams

• Members have received text messages claiming to be from Citizens Community Credit Union’s Fraud Department notifying them of a fraudulent transaction and asking them to click a link to access their account. This is a scam. If you click the link and log in, scammers may capture your online banking credentials. Please only access your account directly through our website or through our mobile banking app. Please note: You may still receive legitimate fraud alerts from Citizens Community Credit Union via text message asking you to reply “YES” or “NO” to verify debit or credit card transactions. These alerts typically come from a 5- or 6-digit short code (not a standard phone number), and will never ask you to click a link or for your full card number, PIN or password.
• You may receive an urgent text message from someone claiming they’ll meet you soon, but the message is addressed to a different person. Your first instinct may be to reply and let them know they have the wrong number, but don’t respond. If you reply, scammers know they’ve reached a real person and may target you further. They often try to start a friendly conversation, build trust and eventually ask for money or encourage you to participate in a fake investment opportunity. Avoid engaging with random strangers by text message. If you receive a suspicious message, it’s best to ignore it, block the number and delete the text.
• Toll scams are a type of scheme where scammers impersonate toll collection agencies to trick people into paying fake toll fines or fees. They claim you owe money for unpaid tolls and must pay them immediately to avoid a penalty.

Social Media & Messaging App Scams

• Friend request from someone you don’t know – If you accept the friend request, you may be connecting with a scammer. They will try to start a conversation and build a relationship with you. One way to determine if it is a scammer is to reverse look up the image using a search engine. More than likely the image will have been stolen.
• Random message from a stranger – They may compliment you, express a desire to be your friend or just start a conversation.
• Message from a friend who won some money – A scammer has hijacked your friend’s account and is attempting to get you to “invest” in something that has won or earned them a lot of money. Call or contact your friend directly using a different method.

Dating App Scams

Dating apps or websites are great resources for scammers. They use these apps to build a relationship with you and then eventually ask for money or personally identifiable information like your online access information. They promise to pay you back, but once they have your money or PII, they “ghost” you. Some of the common reasons for borrowing money are:

• They are out of the country and need money for a plane ticket, to get their belongings out of storage, etc.
• Their money is tied up or their assets are frozen.
• They cannot receive money directly, so they will have a friend send you money and ask for you to send money to another local friend who will give them the money. What you are doing is acting as a money mule, which is illegal.
• They will ask you to marry them, but they need money to get to the US to be with you.
• They will claim there has been an accident, someone is in the hospital or there is some other urgent situation where money is needed to help.

Mobile Payment App Scams

Mobile payment apps such as Venmo, PayPal, CashApp and Zelle®, are becoming increasingly popular because they provide a fast and convenient way to send and receive money. However, scammers also use these apps to take advantage of unsuspecting users through overpayment and “accidental transfer” scams.

• A scammer may “accidentally” send money to you through a mobile payment app and then urgently ask you to send it back. They may claim the payment was sent to the wrong person or that they accidentally overpaid you.
• Often, the original payment was made using a stolen funds. Although the funds may appear in your account, the transaction can later be reversed after the fraud is discovered. If you sent money back to the scammer, you will likely lose both the original payment that was reversed and the refund you sent from your own funds.

Online Marketplace Scams

Online marketplaces such as Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace can be convenient places to buy and sell items, but scammers frequently use these platforms to steal money and personal information.

• Beware of scammers who hack users’ accounts and are selling items at a really good price. They request the money up front to “hold” the item for you, but they won’t be able to meet you because they are typically “out of town”. After receiving the money, the scammer “ghosts” you and you don’t receive the item.
• When you are selling items, scammers may pose as buyers. They will send a check or electronic payment for more than the agreed purchase price. They will then ask you to refund the extra money or include cash when shipping the item. Eventually, the original payment or check is discovered to be fraudulent, and you are responsible for the lost money.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scams

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is when a computer can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.

• Scammers are typically from different countries, and their language isn’t fluent. AI helps the scammer sound more intelligent and as if they are fluent speakers.
• Scammers may use AI to sound like someone you may know. If they have voice recordings, they can use AI to make their voice sound like someone you know.
• Scammers can use AI to look like someone they are not and can video chat using someone else’s image. Sometimes if they make sudden movements, the video skips and you can see the person behind the image. However, AI is growing and getting better every day.

Email Scams

• Always check the actual email address of the sender and not just their name before clicking on links, opening attachments or replying to an email. Scammers often use email addresses that closely resemble legitimate ones, sometimes only changing a single letter or character to trick you.
• Do not click on links in emails from users you do not know. They may contain malware that can steal PII, monitor your activity or capture login credentials when you sign into Online Banking or other sites.
• Block versus unsubscribe unknown emails. Some unsubscribe links are fake that could:
  • Lead you to a phishing scam.
  • Infect your device with malware.
  • Prove to the sender/scammer that your email address is active, which can target you for more scam messages.

Microsoft Scams

A pop-up message may appear on your phone or computer that indicates your device infected with a virus and instructs you to call Microsoft at a particular 800 number.

• This is not Microsoft. Your call will be connected to a scam operation center. The scammers will identify themselves as from Microsoft and ask you for access to your device to fix the problem. Once access is gained, they can download viruses or other programs designed to monitor your online activity. Have your device cleaned by a local reputable business if this has happened to you.
• The scammers may ask for your personal account information to charge you a nominal fee to fix this problem. They will then charge your account for the wrong amount and ask you to log into your Online Banking to verify the amount that was charged. The scammer is watching your activity and instruct you to type in the refund amount. The screen may go black, and the next thing you see is that you have been issued a much larger refund. Typically, they transfer funds from your savings to your checking account to appear as though you were given a refund, but in actuality, it’s your money.
• You may be asked to remove the excess money in cash and send it back to the scammer. You may also be advised to lie to the credit union about the withdrawal purpose. Please never lie to us — we are here to help you.
• You may also be asked by the scammer to purchase bitcoin, gift cards or mail money to the scammer. Do not do this.

Check Fraud Scams

If you receive a check you were not expecting, do not attempt to deposit or cash it just to determine whether it is legitimate. Fraudulent checks can appear real and may leave you responsible for any money spent or withdrawn before the check is returned as counterfeit or invalid.

• Scammers may send checks. After you deposit it into your account, they will request that you send part or all of the money back to them via cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, money orders or via other apps.
• Scammers may instruct you to deposit the check at an ATM, not owned by Citizens Community Credit Union. This is a red flag that the check is not good and should not be negotiated.
• If a teller refuses to accept a check at the teller line, it is a good indication that the check is fraudulent. Do not try to use mobile deposit or an ATM to deposit the check.
• Scammers print lots of checks, and some are on legitimate accounts that belong to innocent victims. Even if a check clears, it is not “free” money, as it is likely “stolen” from someone else.

Never deposit or cash a check unless you are personally owed the money. Be especially cautious of checks that include an overpayment and instructions to send a portion of the money back.

WARNING: If the credit union puts a check on hold and the hold falls off, it does not mean that the check has cleared and is good. Fraudulent checks may be returned within a few business days, or in some cases, it can take months for the check to be identified as counterfeit or unauthorized. If a check is returned as fraudulent after you have withdrawn or spent the funds, you are liable to return or repay those funds.

Prizes, Sweepstakes & Lottery Scams

You are notified you have won a prize, sweepstakes or lottery, band need to provide your account information to pay the taxes and other fees before receiving the “prize”. Real sweepstakes are free and by chance. Any taxes and fees owed are taken from the prize winnings, not paid up front. Do not send money to claim a prize.

Emergency Scams

Emergency scams are fraudulent schemes where scammers impersonate loved ones or authorities in urgent trouble—such as jail, accidents or medical crises—to pressure victims into immediately wiring money, purchasing gift cards, or sending cryptocurrency. A few examples of emergency scams are:

• You receive a call from your grandchild needing help in a foreign country. This is a highly stressful call to receive. Hang up and call the grandchild or their parents directly using a known number.
• You receive a call from your utility company threatening to shut off service if you don’t pay now. Hang up and call your utility company at a known number.
• You receive a call threating arrest unless you pay the caller right now. Hang up and contact the agency in which the caller stated they were from directly to confirm if money is owed or not. Reminder: law enforcement never calls to “warn” you prior to an arrest.

Investment Scams

Everyone wants the best return on their investments. Be wary of investment offers from someone you do not know. Common investment scams include buying gold, silver or cryptocurrency. Scammers often show fake dashboards reflecting great returns and urge you to invest more, but the returns are fake. When you want to remove money from the investment, taxes and fees are owed before the withdrawal, which is a way to get more money from you. To avoid this scam, do not take investment advice from people you don’t know and ask a trusted contact for advice.

• Iowa Fraud Fighters
• Better Business Bureau Scam Survival Toolkit
• AARP Fraud Watch Network – (877) 908-3360
• Federal Trade Commission – Fraud Reporting Website
• Federal Trade Commission  – Identity Theft Reporting Website
• Federal Trade Commission – Online Privacy & Security
• Federal Trade Commission – Avoiding & Reporting Scams
• Federal Trade Commission – Mobile Payment Apps