CLATSKANIE, Ore. – “Vishing” scams appear to be making a resurgence in markets across the country, with credit unions being targeted specifically.
In this market on the Columbia River, Wauna Federal Credit Union has been busy alerting members they should not respond to phone recordings advising that their cards have been deactivated and prompting them to provide the 16-digit number that would be given to the security department. In the case of Wauna Federal, the scammers actually seem to have confused the name of the institution, referring to it as St. Helens Credit Union (the CU has a branch in St. Helens).
The same scam, with members receiving automated phone and even text messages purporting to be a security warning that the member’s account data is in peril and they should respond by providing their card data, has been hitting credit unions in markets across the country with a renewed frequency. Last week several Ohio credit unions were targeted, and the scam has surfaced recently in Virginia and Kansas, as well.
