The FBI Boston Division is warning New England residents about a new scam in which criminals are spoofing the FBI’s real phone number to make their calls appear legitimate.

Here’s how the scam works:

📞 You receive a call from someone claiming to represent a financial institution. They tell you that your personal information was used to open an account that was then used to purchase illegal firearms.

🚔 You’re transferred to someone claiming to be an FBI agent, who may provide a fake name and badge number.

📱 You may then receive another call that appears to come from FBI Boston’s actual phone number and be instructed to continue communicating through an encrypted messaging app.

🔒 The scammer may also tell you that the situation is confidential and that you should not discuss it with anyone.

Don't fall for it. The FBI will never call or email you to demand payment, threaten arrest, request sensitive personal information, or ask you to communicate through an encrypted app.

If you’re ever unsure, stop and contact your credit union directly. We’re here to help protect you.

Have you ever seen a pop-up claiming your computer has a virus or has been locked? It may even blast alarms or tell you to call "Microsoft Support."

It's a scam.

These fake alerts are designed to create panic and trick you into giving scammers remote access to your computer or personal information.

🔒 Protect yourself:
• Never call the phone number displayed in a pop-up.
• Don't click on the alert.
• Never give anyone remote access to your computer.
• Remember: Microsoft does not display pop-ups with phone numbers asking you to call for support.

If you think you've encountered one of these scams, close your browser if possible or restart your computer. If you provided personal or financial information, contact UCU immediately. We are here for U.

Scammers are posing as tech support and convincing people to wire money to “new accounts” in their own name. In reality, the money is sent to accounts controlled by fraudsters.

🚩 Red flags to watch for:

• Pop-ups or calls claiming your account is compromised
• Urgent instructions to move money
• Requests to wire funds to another bank, even in your name

If you’re ever unsure, stop and contact your credit union directly. We’re here to help protect you.

Maine Credit Unions has made this helpful video to remind you of the dangers of frauds and scams and offers some tips on how to help safeguard you and your family.

Use this acronym as an easy way to remember the basic steps you can take to safeguard yourself:

S - Stop and think before you act.
Urgency is a warning sign of a scam. Don’t rush—scammers pressure you to act quickly and make payments without taking the time to think the situation through. 

C - Confirm the source.
Verify who’s really contacting you—through trusted numbers or websites. 

A - Avoid sharing personal information.
Never provide personal information like your birthday, Social Security number, or mother’s maiden name in response to a call, text, or email—especially if it’s unsolicited. 

M - Monitor your accounts regularly.
Check your statements and online and mobile banking often for suspicious activity. 

🚨 Scam Alert 🚨
Scammers are impersonating local law enforcement and threatening arrest over unpaid fines or missed jury duty. These calls can sound very official and intimidating—but they are scams.

• Law enforcement will NOT demand payment over the phone
• They will NOT ask for money via QR codes, gift cards, or payment apps
• If you get a call like this, hang up and call the agency directly using a verified phone number

If something feels urgent or threatening, pause and verify! When in doubt, contact your credit union or local authorities directly. Stay safe and stay informed.

SCAM ALERT: Fraudsters are calling members using a duplicated phone number matching a credit union phone number, stating they are from the "fraud department." Be aware of fraudulent calls and text stating they are from UCU. We will never ask you for information we already have. If you receive a message or call and are unsure of its validity, call us directly at 800.696.8628.

Holiday Reminder

Remember, just because there's a holiday doesn't mean scammers have the day off too. Holiday weekends are a perfect time to catch unsuspecting people off guard.

Remember, we will NEVER call or text you asking for sensitive personal information, such as:

• Full Social Security number
• Passwords or PINs
• Mother’s maiden name
• Account numbers

Scammers have the capability of masking their phone number to make it look like another person is calling (such as your credit union, or other organizations). This is called spoofing, and it is very common. When in doubt, always hang up the phone and call the number of your party directly using their true phone number. Ours is 800.696.8628.

Check out this helpful video from Maine Credit Unions.

Recently a couple of members have experienced computer pop-ups while browsing the internet, clicked on those pop-ups and that has led to fraud.

Fraudsters acting as ‘fraud protection’ are contacting people in a variety of ways including through internet fraud with pop-ups on computers. The fraudsters are then instructing the members to withdraw large amounts of cash to protect their funds from ‘fraud,’ specifically directing on what to tell branch staff such as ‘for home repairs,’ as to avoid getting caught. The fraudsters are then instructing the members to deposit their hard earned money into a "federal" Bitcoin ATM. UCU will never ask you to do this.

If you have experienced a similar scenario recently and provided sensitive information, please contact us immediately at 800.696.8628.

Our credit union wants to alert you about a text messaging scam that is impacting members across Maine. If you receive an unsolicited text message from someone claiming to be with a Maine-based credit union about a suspicious online purchase made with your debit card, do not click any links in the message!

As a friendly reminder, you should never click on links received in emails or text messages from people you do not know. Anytime you receive an alert about a financial transaction from someone other than your trusted credit union, be wary! This is a big red flag for fraud. Our credit union will never contact you by phone, text, or email and ask you to verify your banking account number, passwords, Social Security number, or other personal information. Always reach out to our credit union at the number listed on our website if you are uncertain about a communication or need assistance.

A local credit union has been informed by some of their members that they received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the credit union's Fraud Department. The number on the caller ID was spoofed to appear as if it was the credit union’s phone number. During the call, the fraudster tells the members that two charges are trying to clear their account from California and that they suspect it is fraud. The caller then directs them through an automated system where they get asked to disclose their entire card number to cancel the fraudulent charges.

Luckily, in these examples, the members hung up, did not provide the information, and contacted the credit union. This may not always be the case. Your credit union will never call and ask you to reveal personal information like account numbers, PINs, or social security numbers.

Unfortunately, we are again hearing from our members that fraudsters are attempting to steal their financial information, such as online/mobile banking passwords and credit card and debit/ATM numbers. As a reminder, University Credit Union will not contact you requesting you to share account information. Fraudsters can spoof real numbers (including your credit union’s phone number), and falsely claim there has been potential fraudulent activity on your account in attempt to scare you into providing your account information.

If you are contacted by someone asking you provide passwords or any information that appears on your debit, ATM, or credit card (such as card number, CVV number, name on the card, expiration date, address, zip code), DO NOT share anything with them. HANG UP IMMEDIATELY. Again, please remember these fraudsters can mask phone numbers and make it appear as though they are calling from a valid number, even an University Credit Union number. If you are unsure at all as to whether the representative calling you is from University Credit Union, hang up and contact us at 800.696.8628.

Fraudsters are contacting members by calling, text message, or email claiming to be the UCU Fraud Team stating suspicious activity was spotted on their account. The scammer then asks the member to provide their Digital Banking username and password, and Secure Access Codes in order to "protect" their account.
If you receive a suspicious call, text or email from someone claiming to be from UCU, ignore it, don’t click any links and/or hang up. If you're unsure if the communication is legitimate, please call us directly at 800.696.8628.

Remember, UCU will never ask you to do this. If you have experienced a similar scenario recently and provided sensitive information, please contact us immediately at 800.696.8628.

 What Is a Brute Force Attack?

• A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used by fraudsters to obtain payment card information such as an account number, card expiration date, PIN, or Card Verification Value 2 (CVV2).

How Members Can Help Prevent Brute Force Attacks

As with all fraud, there are steps that members can take to help protect their account information. It is good practice to:

• • Use strong passwords and change them often. Having a strong password policy is the simplest and most effective way of thwarting a brute force attack. Don’t include personal information in your passwords, avoid recycling passwords, and change them frequently.
  • Utilize two-factor authentication for accounts. This adds another layer of security to protect your personal information.
  • Ensure the security on your electronic and mobile devices is up to date.
  • Never open attachments or click on links from unknown individuals or companies as it could enable malicious software.
  • Contact your credit union right away if you believe your information has been compromised!

What Is Spoofing?

• Spoofing is the act of disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source. In this case, fraudsters were contacting members saying that they were calling on behalf of a credit union.

How Members Can Prevent Falling Victim to a Spoofing Scam

Given this activity, sharing these helpful tips with your members can help protect them against fraud.

• Never share credit union account information or social security number. Your credit union will never contact you by phone, email, or text with a request for this information. If you receive a request like this, chances are, it’s fraud!
• If you receive an unsolicited call or text message from someone claiming to be a representative of the credit union, you should hang up (if contacted by phone) and call your credit union using a phone number listed on your statement to verify the contact is legitimate. If they get push back from the person on the other end, it is likely a scam.

It’s also good practice to:

• Monitor credit card accounts, banking accounts, and credit reports regularly.
• Change account passwords often and avoid using the same username and password on multiple sites or personal information.
• Never open attachments or click on links from unknown individuals or companies.
• Contact the credit union right away if you believe your information has been compromised!

Fraudsters are acting as employers and hiring new employees remotely. They are sending checks that require payment back to the 'employer' or associates by other direct means, such as third party person to person payment apps, for equipment or other supplies. This is an employment scam. If you have concerns about a scenario like this contact the credit union.