Stay vigilant! Look out for fake texts and phone calls.

Fraudsters are pretending to be 7 17 Credit Union – stay vigilant and look out for fakes!

We want to protect our members and constantly educate you regarding ways unscrupulous criminals are trying to steal your financial information. The latest scam involves phony text messages and phone calls from 7 17. Here is what’s happening:

Members have reported receiving multiple text messages within a couple of days of each other claiming to be from 7 17 Credit Union. When fraudsters get the name of your bank or credit union correct, you can easily be fooled into clicking a link. These are text messages trying to scare you into believing someone has accessed your account or that your account will be disabled, closed, or affected in some negative way.

These are FEAR tactics by fraudsters trying to get your info. These are NOT messages from 7 17 Credit Union!

In other instances, reported by members, our 800 number was spoofed and those very criminals are calling our members from a phony number pretending to be 7 17 Credit Union.

Here are example messages fraudsters have used to try to fool members:

Fraud text red flags:

• The message may contain grammatical errors
• The message may have strange capitalization or improper punctuation
• The sender calls us the incorrect name like "7 17 Credit Union Bank"
• The text will ask you to take some action, input a number, click on a link, or give you a strange code to be given back to the criminal

A reminder: 7 17 will NEVER text you to ask you to act on your account or ask for personal information. Please protect yourself and lean on 7 17 for support! Call 800-775-7741 if you are suspicious of any communication and DON’T interact with a suspicious text, phone call, or email.

Important note: 7 17 members may receive voice or text messages to alert of potential fraud when using a credit union debit or credit card. These account alerts are provided to our members through SecurLOCK Fraud Alerts for your 7 17 Visa® Credit Card and through Enfact Fraud Alerts for your 7 17 Visa® Debit Card. Learn more about card alerts at www.717cu.com/personal/services/account-alerts. When in doubt, reach out to 7 17 Credit Union directly!

What to do if you receive a text message from 7 17 Credit Union or other financial institutions?

No matter what the unexpected text says, the advice is the same.

• Don't click on links or respond to unexpected texts. That includes ones asking you to input numbers, confirm payment info, address, or even ones that ask you to fill out surveys to get free items. If you think it could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real. Don't use the information in the text message. 
• Do not share any personal or financial information if you receive one of these text messages or phone calls.
• Contact 7 17 Credit Union if you ever feel uncertain or uneasy about any correspondence you receive, whether it be via text, voicemail, mail, or other.