By Ryan Kiedrowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The World-Spectator
Fraudsters seem to continually change their tactics in order to separate people from their hard-earned money. During this time of year, scams mimicking financial institutions are more frequent.
“Conexus Credit Union takes the online safety of its members extremely seriously,” said Mark Millham, Chief Risk and Compliance Officer with Conexus Credit Union. “We know that threats from bad actors increase during the holiday season.”
Financial institutions will not ask for your banking credentials such as passwords, and fraudsters often use scare tactics to create a sense of urgency. If a caller asks for personal data such as a password or account information, Conexus advises to simply end the call.
“We encourage members to report any suspicious emails, calls, or texts posing as Conexus as soon as possible,” Millham said.
Links in emails are another common way online criminals try to contact people, in some cases using similar-looking logos to actual financial institutions. If you question the validity of an email message, do not click the link. Another method is via text message, and Conexus noted they do not conduct banking transactions through text message.
There are some ways to protect yourself from scams, including setting up safety alerts (email messages when there is suspicious activity over online banking accounts), creating long and strong passwords, and have conversations about such criminal activities.
“While spending time with friends and family this holiday season, we encourage you to discuss online safety and how best to protect yourself online,” Millham said.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a scam, report it to your local RCMP.