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Phishing Scams & Tips to Avoid Them

Text Message Scams

Phishing text messages attempt to trick you into sharing personal information like your password, PIN, or Social Security number to gain access to your bank account. Keep your information safe by not responding.

Text Message Tips

  • Slow down and think before you act
  • Never send personal information
  • Don’t click links
  • Delete the message
  • No bank or government agency will ever ask you to provide personal information via text message

Email Scams

Email scammers frequently disguise their emails to mimic the appearance of a legitimate business. Their objective is to entice you to click on a link within the email, redirecting you to a spoofed website that resembles the real one.

Email Tips

  • Avoid clicking suspicious links
  • Hover over links to see the URL where it will truly direct you to, especially with unexpected emails
  • Raise the red flag on scare tactics
  • Watch for typos
  • Watch for attachments because they can contain viruses and malware
  • Be skeptical of every email

Phone Call Scams

Scammers sometimes try to cheat you out of your money from a position of trust or authority. There are a good amount of bank, government and tech imposter scams that use similar tactics.

Phone Call Tips

  • Don’t rely on caller ID
  • Watch out for a false sense of urgency
  • Never share sensitive information
  • Hang up even if it sounds legit 
  • Do your own research by publicly sourcing the phone number of the supposed entity calling you
  • Beware of pop-up paid advertisements, as fraudsters purposely place these to entrap you into calling them 
  • When publicly sourcing the phone number, always make sure you are on the legitimate website of the entity calling         

Mobile Payment App Scams

Scams using payment apps such as Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle®, are growing more and more prevalent as those platforms become popular. Once you’re hooked, it takes seconds for a scammer to access your accounts.

Mobile Payment App Tips

  • Beware of texts or calls about payment apps
  • Only pay someone you know, not someone you've only dealt with online
  • Use caution with urgent payment requests
  • Avoid unusual payment methods

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