Tune into this week’s episode of Money, I’m Home to hear Lynne chat with Consumers Fraud Specialist Kristy Desimone about the newest trends being used by scammers.

 

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0:00:07.2 Lynne Jarman-Johnson (LJJ): Money, I’m Home. Welcome in. I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit. From finance to fitness, we have it all and we have our special guest this month. I’ll tell you what, every month we learn so much about what’s going on and every month there’s something new. It’s our fraud specialist, Kristy Desimone. Hey, thanks for joining us today.

0:00:25.5 Kristy Desimone: Of course. Thanks for having me!

0:00:27.4 LJJ: Well, you know something I have in my little hand and I know if you’re listening you can’t see it, but it’s my iPhone. And I use my iPhone for banking and I’m constantly… It’s easy then to check online and see what’s going on with my accounts. And you can see, uh-oh, this doesn’t look right, right? Well, hey, you’re the person that is really going to help us dig deep about… There’s online scams going on. Online banking has got to be secure, which ours is. What’s going on out there in the worldwide web?

0:01:03.1 KD: Yeah. So, we have seen an uptick in online loan scams. So, somebody will text you a link or email you a link that you click on and you go through and fill out this loan application and they ask you for your online banking credentials, so your login information, and you give that out and then they log in and deposit a fraud check and then ask you to send some funds back. And that’s what we’re seeing. And it’s a little concerning because you’re online banking…

0:01:30.3 LJJ: So literally you’re giving them permission but not in any way your fault. But you are giving them permission to get into your online account. Boy, that’s scary.

0:01:39.8 KD: Right. And any company that is reputable, that hands out loans, is not going to ask for that online banking information. That’s not something they need to process alone. And so, we really want to make sure that we keep that information really safe because it houses a lot of your personal information in our online banking that’s easy for you to get to. But if you give it to a scammer, then it’s out there for everybody.

0:02:04.2 LJJ: When this happens, sometimes, Kristy, it’s almost like it’s a personalized type request or personalized offer. And so, you think that it’s real because it’s personalized to you.

0:02:16.4 KD: 100%. They can even spoof a really good-looking website of another loan company and then you’re like, “This is legit. It’s from this company I’ve heard of before” but it’s not really their website and they’re just trying to get that information to gain access to fraud funds.

0:02:33.7 LJJ: I think one of the things that I recall is that you really have to look at a few things. And every year we take a quiz and a test to make sure that we’re up on all of our fraud… Scams that are out there. And one of the things that I love that you talk about is, check the actual website URL, check the actual email address because often that’s going to be the red flag.

0:02:58.6 KD: 100%. And I don’t know how many times I get text messages to my phone and it’s this random email that has nothing to do with the company they’re claiming to be from. So, it’s just a quick, “Hey, does that URL make sense? Does that email make sense?” Hover over that email, see what it is. And if it matches the company they say they’re from.

0:03:16.7 LJJ: Yeah. You really wouldn’t think, Oh, well yeah, why would someone ask for your online banking login credentials? It’s just an automatic stop.

0:03:25.9 KD: Yeah. And sometimes they think that, oh, they’re going to come in and deposit the funds with a transfer like they normally do, but in reality they’re getting access to deposit fraud checks. And if that’s happened then you see it and you’re like, this doesn’t make any sense. because then they ask for some money back.

0:03:44.4 LJJ: Right. Obviously you’re on the phones continuously with our members and it must really just frustrate you when all of a sudden you see an uptick in these types of scams.

0:03:56.4 KD: Exactly. because it’s people who are really trying to find a solution to maybe a problem that they have if they have to get their tires replaced or something unexpected they need a [personal] loan for, and they’re trying hard to do that. And then the scammer comes along and is like, “I’m going to try and take advantage of you because you are in need of something.”

0:04:13.7 LJJ: And I will say there’s not a single person in Consumers Credit Union when you walk into any of our offices or you pick up the phone that isn’t ready to help you and really help you make sure that we keep your accounts safe.

0:04:29.6 KD: 100%. We are here to help you. If you’ve given it out, let us know so that we can put it on hold and get you all set so that nothing is compromised and you can move forward. But we’re here for you 100% of the time.

0:04:42.4 LJJ: Yeah, don’t let… One of the things, I was talking to a friend of mine and she kind of… She got scammed a little, got down the road. And she was so embarrassed. And I said, “You know what? That’s the one thing that you shouldn’t be. Don’t be embarrassed so much that you don’t get help because the longer that goes on, I think it just… Isn’t it like a snowball that just keeps growing?

0:05:06.4 KD: Oh, yeah. And it grows quickly, too. Before you realize it, it was $500 and now it’s $5000 and it grows very quickly. And I always say it’s not a matter of if you’re going to be scammed, it’s a matter of when. And we all are going to fall for it at some point. And it happens to the best of us. So don’t feel any shame. Come and talk to us. We’ll sit down, drink some great coffee in one of our offices and really get down to the bottom of what happened.

0:05:32.5 LJJ: I love it. Well, hey, thank you so much for all that you do for us here at Consumers in helping us out. I’ve told you this, but I love it. You’re the number one listened to topic. It is great, and really appreciate your time.

0:05:47.5 KD: Yay. We just love protecting our members.

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0:05:50.3 LJJ: We do. Hey, if you have a topic that you’d like to share, like fraud and Kristy, hey, come on our show. We’d love to have you. I’m Lynne Jarman-Johnson with Consumers Credit Union. Thanks, Jake Esselink for your production skills. Money, I’m Home. From finance to fitness and getting rid of fraud.

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