Don’t be spoofed.

Scam artists use the latest trends and sophisticated techniques to defraud their victims. Synergy Credit Union wants to protect our members by creating awareness of one type of fraud called ‘Caller ID Spoofing’.

What is it?

Caller ID spoofing can make an incoming call on your phone appear to have come from any phone number the caller wishes. It could even appear to be from your credit union when in fact it’s not.

How does it work?

Caller ID spoofing has been available for years and was used by collection agencies, law enforcement officials, and private investigators. But over that last several years, spoofing services have become available over the internet at minimal cost and effort, and are increasingly being used by scam artists for fraudulent purposes.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Because of the high trust people have with the caller ID system, this makes it even more important that you are cautious and DO NOT provide your personal information to anyone unless you have initiated the contact yourself. And always remember, your credit union would not contact you by phone or email to request personal information.

If a scam artist does contact you or if you’ve been defrauded call PhoneBusters at 1.888.495.8501, www.phonebusters.com, or contact your local RCMP for investigation. For more information about fraud prevention check with your credit union branch.

More tips on how you can protect yourself from fraud.