Scam texts and emails can look real at first glance, but there are some characteristics to a scam message that you can look out for. Read on to find out how to protect yourself by spotting a scam text and email message.
What to look out for
- They want financial or personal info– Liberty Bay or a genuine company would never message you for banking or personal details.
- Unexpected sender– If you don’t know who sent a text or email message then it could be a scam.
- You need to act now– A genuine text or email message will be written in a reasonable and calm way. Scams may use warning messages, threats of fraud or problems with your account.
- Spelling mistakes– Scam texts and emails often look odd, with a messy layout and spelling mistakes.
- The email address– All our email addresses end with lbcu.org. There should never be another word in between lbcu and .org. This is a genuine email: name@lbcu.org. This is a scam email: name@lbcu.mail.org.
- You’re asked to move your money– We will never text or email you to make a test payment online or to move money to a new routing and account number. We will never ask you to move money to a secure, safe, or holding account.
What you can do
If you get a message that seems odd, you should follow these steps:
- Do not reply– Even if you think you know the sender, don’t reply to a text or email message if it seems odd.
- Do not open any links or attachments– Scam texts and emails can put a virus on your phone or computer.
- Call the company– If you’re not sure, call the company on a number you trust or visit their website by typing their web address directly into the address bar at the top of your screen.
- Call us to make sure it’s genuine– Contact Member Services and we can help to check the text or email message.
Remember, if you’re not sure about an email or text message – do not reply and delete it.
Check out these additional resources to learn more about how you can protect yourself from financial fraud:
- Stay a step ahead with our list of the latest and most common scams
- How to recognize & react to a scam call
- Complete guide to protecting yourself from financial scams
- FTC’s overview on recognizing and avoiding phishing scams
At Liberty Bay, we want to help you protect yourself from this type of fraudulent activity. Please reach out to our experts for more information about financial fraud or if you think you may have been scammed.
