Romance Scams
Scammers will start fake romantic relationships online to gain the trust of the victim(s). Eventually, the scammer will ask for “urgent” money for a very difficult situation that could seem possible, exploiting emotional connections for financial gain. Be cautious and think twice before sending your hard-earned money or taking a loan out to give money to someone you met online.

Tech Support Scams
Scammers impersonate tech support from reputable companies, claiming your computer has a virus or security issue. Often, they will ask for your login or personal information to get into your computer or online banking to “help” install or fix the problem. Reputable companies will never ask for that information.

Cryptocurrency / Investment Scams
Fraudsters lure victims with the “can’t miss” investment opportunities promising high returns with little to no risk. Be cautious with this, often if it seems “to good to be true”, it probably is.

Impersonation Scams
Scammers pretend to be someone trusted – such as government officials, family, friends, or a company representative. We’ve seen an uptick in fraudsters pretending to be a Heritage Grove representative or calling from the fraud department asking for your code word, full card number, CVV, expiration date and/or full ACH/Account number. Our fraud department will never ask for these things. Heritage Grove’s fraud department will either ask for a reference # or if a specific transaction is good or fraudulent.

Often the scammers request money or sensitive information with urgent requests. These requests can be made through phone calls, text or email.

Grandparent Scams
In these situations, scammers pose as a grandchild or someone claiming to represent them, alleging an emergency. They pressure the grandparents into sending money quickly with wire transfers or prepaid cards.

Remember STOP:
Sender – Verify the sender’s identity
Tone – Look for urgent or alarming language
Offers – Be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true
Phishing – Be wary of links that look odd, unfamiliar, or lead to fake websites

Key things to keep in mind:

• Heritage Grove will never call, email or text asking for sensitive information, such as:
  • Login credentials
  • PIN
  • Full SSN
  • Debit/Credit card numbers
  • CVV code
  • Code Word
• Always access digital banking from Heritage Grove’s website or mobile app.
• Enroll in push notifications, enable two-factor authentication, and ensure your financial institution has your up-to-date contact information.
• Never click on links in text messages, unless you’re certain of the source.
• Be suspicious of communications asking for sensitive information – don’t provide personal information.
• Scammers can use urgency to put you at risk of making sensitive decisions quickly. Don’t rush! Take the time to think through the request and consider whether the call, text or email is real.
• Call the family member, friend or company directly from a number you know or google search the company and find their phone number on their website.

Additional scams to watch out for:
Tax Scams – Scammers pose as tax officials (e.g. IRS representatives) and threaten victims with legal action, arrest, or penalties for unpaid taxes.
Subscription Traps – Victims are enticed with free trials or low-cost offers for products or services. Hidden terms lock them into paying for expensive and recurring subscriptions that are difficult to cancel.
Online Shopping Fraud – Victims are lured by fake or fraudulent online stores offering too-good-to-be-true deals. After payment, the scammer either delivers counterfeit items, low-quality goods or nothing at all.
Student Loan Forgiveness Scammers pretend to offer student loan forgiveness or reduced repayment plans, often claiming to be affiliated with the government. They charge upfront fees for services that are free through official programs or steal personal and financial information.
Social Media / Fake Influencer – Fraudsters use social media platforms to impersonate friends, celebrities or businesses and leverage their “influence” to gain trust and scam people offering fake giveaways or urgent requests for money.
AI Scams – Fraudsters use artificial intelligence to mimic voices, images or video calls. These scams exploit the victim’s trust and that the “real” person is asking for money.
Lottery Scams – Victims are informed they’ve won a lottery or prize they never entered and are asked to pay fees or taxes upfront to claim the reward.
Job Offer Scams – Scammers offer “high-paying” or “remote jobs”. They often request upfront fees, equipment or background checks and end up stealing money during the process.

If you think you are a victim of a scam:

• Don’t be afraid or embarrassed – scams and fraud happen often, and we are here to help you.
• Contact your financial institution immediately – the sooner you let them know, the easier it is to help you with your accounts and loans.
• Monitor your credit – enroll in our free Credit Score Solution within our digital banking and review your credit score and report periodically. You can also receive free credit reports once a year from annualcreditreport.com.
• If you think someone might be using your personal information – you can report it at ftc.gov.

Questions? Call/text 503.588.0211 or email creditunion@ourgrovecu.com.