How to avoid scams

Dear Members,

We would like to take this opportunity to alert our members to be aware of the risk of phone and payment card fraud. There has been an increase in fraudulent activity recently and Comhar Linn want to protect our members by making them aware of the fraudulent activities that could occur.

Phone Fraud 

Criminals have access to a wide range of data including people's contact numbers, this includes mobile and landline numbers. Criminals will use this opportunity to scam people by contacting directly on through the phone - this is called Vishing. Criminals can also access people's bank details by text message (Smishing). These type of criminals are experts in this field and have been successful with accessing people's private financial data one too many times!
Criminals can do this by pretending to be your bank, credit card issuer, utility company or often a computer company. During the conversation they will try and trick you into giving personal, banking or security information. They may also convince you to make a money transfer to them or inform you that you have won a prize and need to send money to release it. Their intention is to use this information to commit fraud against you or other parties in your name.

Payment Card Fraud 

This type of fraud involves the use of stolen or counterfeit payment cards to make direct purchases or cash withdrawals. It also includes the use of stolen card data to buy items over the

Phishing

This type of fraud involves criminals making contact by email and can take a number of forms. The email may appear to be from a reputable company however when one clicks on the email or attachment or link within the email, malicious software (malware) is downloaded onto the PC or other device allowing the criminal to track online activity and identify personal or financial information for fraudulent purposes. Both individuals and companies can be victims of this type of crime.

In other cases, the criminal uses temptation as a means to extract money from you by pretending that you have won or inherited a large sum of money to convince you to provide personal or banking details or to transfer money.

Take a look at some of Comhar Linn's 'Scam prevention' recommendations:

• Don’t divulge your account details to anyone
• Remember, we will never call you asking for your PIN 
• If you have a debit card, keep it safe – don’t write down your PIN
• Don’t open unsolicited emails
• Do not click links in emails which require your account login details
• If you are a student or have a student in your house stay vigilant for people trying to recruit ‘money mules’ – to allow money to be laundered through their accounts.

If you become aware of fraudulent activity associated with your Credit Union account we ask our Members to get in touch with us directly on 01 8731101.