Fraud Alerts

Sign up for Visa® Purchase Alerts and Online Banking or Mobile Banking Account Alerts to protect yourself from fraud!

Visa® Purchase Alerts
Visit https://purchasealerts.visa.com/vca-web/check to receive real-time alerts via email or text message on:

  • Individual transaction thresholds

  • International transactions

  • Transactions where the card is not present

InFirst Federal Credit Union Account Alerts
Log into Online Banking or Mobile Banking, select “Menu” and scroll to “Manage Alerts” in the Manage Alerts section. Account Alerts include:

  • Balance alert

  • Balance change alert

  • Balance summary report

  • Loan payment due alert

  • Transaction size alert

Money Mule Fraud

What’s a Money Mule?

A Money Mule is a person recruited by scammers to help receive and move money obtained by a fraud victim.

Recently, financial institutions have seen an uptick in Money Mule fraud. Fraudsters recruit these individuals to open accounts using both real and false information. Scammers then utilize member-to-member transfers to move stolen money into the mule account, where it can be withdrawn.

Your credit union has measures in place to help protect you from becoming a victim, but it is important to do your part. NEVER share your online banking credentials with anyone, including someone claiming to be a credit union employee. We will never ask you for your online banking password or your debit or credit card PIN.

Account Takeover – Fraudsters impersonate their victims to gain control over their personal accounts.

The most blatant cases occur when a scammer approaches a financial institution using the victim’s identity. Unfortunately, this kind of fraud is happening everywhere – even in your own backyard. In VA, MD, DC, and PA, suspects are using falsified driver’s licenses with legitimate consumer information to request a cash withdrawal or a check payable to a business from the victim’s account.

Other situations occur under cover of darkness – Internet darkness, that is. For instance, it can start with a breach in a subscription service where the scammer changes a piece of non-monetary personal information before gradually working up to changing the login credentials, effectively locking the victim out of their own account. Once they have complete control, they can start charging the card on file, and the victim is powerless to stop them until it’s too late.

You can prevent Account Takeover Fraud by protecting your ID and personal data. Only provide details to people you know are using it for legitimate purposes. When using the Internet, update your online passwords regularly, choose longer, more complex passwords, and practice online awareness by not clicking suspicious links, safeguarding your information, and monitoring your accounts for unauthorized transactions. One easy way to do so is by enrolling all of your cards in Purchase Alerts. If you would like to learn more about that, scroll down to the bottom of this page.


Social Security Scams are on the Rise

Have you or someone you know received a call or voicemail from someone warning that your Social Security number or benefits are suspended due to suspicious activity?

Scammers are hoping you’ll be scared into believing their claims and will usually ask you to confirm your Social Security number and pay money to “reactivate” your number, protect it, or restore your benefits.  

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Social Security scams now outnumber other types of scams, including Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scams, which were formerly the most common. Pretending to be a representative of the government is a common way for fraudsters to trick people into giving up their money or personal information. Knowing how to tell the difference between a scammer and a genuine call from the federal government is important.

Click here for the facts!

Tips to help protect your personal and financial information:

  1. Monitor your account transactions
    By regularly tracking your card usage, you will be able to identify unauthorized usage of your funds.

  2. Check your credit report
    You are entitled to one free credit report from each credit bureau each year! Visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com and select the bureau from which you would like to receive your report. Stagger your reports throughout the year for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

  3. Be cautious when opening email, clicking links, or paying online
    Never click on links in the body of an email or download attachments from senders you do not know. Pay close attention to the email address and body of the email to ensure the message is coming from the correct place. Never save your financial information to a merchant site that you do not frequently use. If you receive an email, text message, or phone call from someone claiming to be a financial representative who asks for your account number or social security information, DO NOT provide it. Instead, contact your financial institution immediately and report the incident.

    • InFirst FCU will NEVER solicit personal or financial information.

    • NEVER respond to requests for information (via e-mail, phone, text messaging, or mail) unless you initiate the request.

Additional resources to help and prevent fraud:

If you feel that you have received a fraudulent NCUA phishing e-mail, please forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov.