Smishing is on the rise and has reared its head in Monroe.
That’s the term given the growing practice of stealing personal and financial data via text messaging on cell phones.
Some members and non-members of the Monroe County Community Credit Union have received fraudulent text messages purporting to be from the credit union concerning an account that they might or might not have.
The message says “This is an automated message from Monroe County Community Credit Union Security Department, regarding your account security. Please call urgently at 877-897-1953.” When the number is called it asks for a credit card number, expiration date, and pin.
Don’t reply to the message, it’s a scam designed to capture your account or other personal information.
MCCCU said it not solicit information from its members in this way. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Call Center at (734) 242-3222.
A similar scam message making the rounds looks like this:
8669425647@ncua.gov() (card blocked) Alert. For more information please call 1-866-942-5647. Thank you.
A recorded message on that now-disconnected number told the victim someone was misusing her credit card number online, and asked her to key the card number for confirmation, so a new one could be sent.
Invoking the “ncua” is an attempt to use the good name of the National Credit Union Administration to provide some credibility to the scam.
But the NCUA also never asks people via a text message to key in their credit card numbers.
For instance, in a case earlier this year, a fraud ring landed $22m of merchandise by using a cell phone industry insider to access users’ account details, which were then used to order extra equipment, which was subsequently sold by the thieves.