By now, you’ve probably heard the term “phishing” which means to fraudulently obtain personal information such as passwords or credit card details.  There are new scams and theft tactics that have recently surfaced across the country. “Smishing” and “Vishing” are two new ways that personal information is being lured into the hands of thieves.

“Smishing” is a scam that starts with a spontaneous text message to your cell phone warning the victim that their credit union or bank account has been closed due to suspicious activity. The text message them prompts the victim call a special phone number the reactivate the account.

Unsuspecting victims then call the number provided in the text message and are asked to type in credit and debit card numbers, PIN numbers, and expiration dates.

This is a scam and no one from any financial institution will contact you via text message.

The other new threat to your personal information is called “vishing” which uses Voice over IP (VoIP) to make anonymous calls to your phone. The voice on the other line will tell victims that their credit card has been used illegally. Then the victim is asked to call a fake toll-free number to “confirm” their account information and credit card number. In this case, it may be more difficult to tell a scam from the actual credit card company. Beware if the caller does not address you with your first or last name or if the caller wants you to “confirm” or “verify” your financial information over the phone. If there is a problem with your credit card, call only the toll-free number on your credit card or statement. 

Ways to protect yourself from identity theft: