Fraudsters can call people and pretend to be from Liberty Bay, the police, or other well-known organizations or companies. Scam calls can sound real and professional. But stop and think – is this call genuine?
What to look out for
- Unexpected calls– If you didn’t expect the call then it could be a scam. If you’re not sure, you can call back.
- Pressure calls– Fraudsters want to hurry you into making a quick decision. They may also ask you to ‘keep it quiet’ and not tell anyone about the call. Don’t trust anyone who does this.
- A need to transfer money– Scam calls can try to get you to transfer money for security purposes or to a safe/secure/holding account. Do not do this. Liberty Bay would never ask you to move money to a ‘safe’ account.
- Refunds– If a call offers you a refund it’s a scam. Liberty Bay would never call you about a refund.
- Test transactions– If a caller asks you to do a test transaction then it’s a scam. Liberty Bay would never ask you to do this.
- Calls from the police– It’s very rare for the police to call. If they do call, they’ll usually follow up with a visit from an Officer with a photo ID.
- You’re asked to log on to your computer– A scam call may tell you there’s something wrong with your computer or ask you to download something. They could pretend to be from your broadband provider or trusted software company. But if you didn’t ask for this call, it’s a scam.
What you can do
If you get a cold call, then you can stay safe by:
- Hang up the phone– If you’re not sure who’s calling, hang up the phone.
- Tell them you’ll call back– But use a number you trust, not the number they use or give you. If they say it’s the police you can call back using your local police department’s non-emergency number.
- Contact us– If you’re not sure about a call please get in touch with us. Scam calls can come from a number that looks genuine.
- Do not transfer any money– Your credit union, bank, or the police will never call and ask you to move money from your account.
- Do not log onto your computer– Unless you called for help, do not log on to your computer for an unexpected call.
- Do not let anyone take control of your computer – Unless you called for help, do not let anyone take remote control of your computer.
- Do not say what is on your computer screen– A real call would not ask for you to tell them what’s on your computer screen.
Remember, if you’re not sure about a call hang up the phone.
Check out these additional resources to learn more about how you can protect yourself from financial fraud:
- Stay a step ahead with this list of the latest and most common scams
- How to spot a scam message
- 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.
