Several CUs report more scams

Credit unions in Maine and Texas reported that recent scams have targeted their members.

The scams have involved:

> Brewer (Maine) FCU, which is warning its members about attempts to fleece their accounts. Scam artists are sending checks to credit union members for items bought on Craigslist and other Internet sites that are "in excess of the purchase price with a request to return the excess," said a Brewer FCU press release. Or, scammers send checks to members and ask that the checks be cashed for the scammers. "Inevitably these checks are returned either for insufficient funds or because they are fraudulent altogether," the $39.1 million-asset credit union said (Bangor Daily News June 23).

> The $6.2 million-asset, Sugar Land (Texas) Employees FCU, whose members have been targeted by text messages sent by scammers posing as the credit union. The messages claim that members' debit cards had to be deactivated for security reasons, and that members should call an 800 number and give out personal information to reactivate their cards, according to the Texas attorney general's office (The Fort Worth Star-Telegram June 21).

> New Dimensions FCU, Waterville, Maine, which is advising members to ignore pre-recorded phone calls that tells members--for instance--that their Visa card has been restricted for supermarket use only, and that they must call a specific phone number to contact Visa security and a press "1" to speak to someone. The $5.8 million-asset credit union and local police are advising members that the calls are a scam and to ignore them.