Current Security Alerts

How scams work

Important words to know

What to do if you fall victim

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How scams work...

How a telephone scam works (Smishing): 

The scammers will call, at random, sometimes thousands of people.  They are hoping that out of those thousands of people, a handful are actually members of the financial institution.  Out of that handful a few will fall for their scam.  In our case, the scammers don't know if you're a GPO member or not.  They don't have access to our member information or member data.  It's completely random... they will dial (315) 555-1111, 1112, 1113, 1114... etc.  The messages are automated, and will either prompt you to press #1 to be transferred to give your card information, or else it will give you a phone number to call back to reactivate your card.  Is the number GPO's phone number that you know and trust?  No, it's not.  It's another poorly recorded automated message.

How a text message scam works (Vishing):

Text message scams work similar to the above telephone scam, in that they are numbers dialed at random, and if you're a member, the text message "makes sense", and you will fall for their scam.  Text messages are usually a generic message about the need to reactivate your card, and will give a number for you to call and do so. 

Don't Trust the Caller-ID!

For moth Vishing and Smishing, the caller ID numbers are usually spoofed.  They are legitimate businesses and homes of unsuspecting people.

How an e-mail scam works (Phishing):

E-mail scams are similar to the telephone scams, in that they are random.  The e-mails are usually from lists that circulate amongst scammers, some are legitimate e-dresses, but many are returned as undeliverable.  The fraudulent e-mails will either give you a phone number to call (which will then ask for your card information), or they may give you a link to click on.  The website will usually spoof the site of the financial institution, and it will prompt you to give your card information.  Sometimes, it may even tell you to take a quick survey and we will give you money!  One thing to remember... you don't generally get anything for free, and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

Don't reply to the e-mails!

Did you know that the worst thing you can do is hit the reply button and send a message to an email scam, or even a spam email that was from a business (an email that you didn't request).  This will actually cause you to receive MORE spam and scams, because now you have just confirmed to the scammer that you're email address is live, and you're actually checking it!  Resist the urge to send nasty replies to the scammers (I know some of you do, because I've seen them!)  You're just going to cause yourself more unsolicited email down the road.