Scammers are opportunistic, taking advantage of what’s happening in the world. Lots of scams are about tax payments and refunds. Don’t fall for it. Read on to learn how to protect yourself and your money.

Ring, ring. IRS impersonator here!

A call from the IRS may cause jitters, but what if it’s good news?

The caller tells you, “This is the IRS. You made an error on your return. We owe you a refund.”

Here’s a classic case of “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Have you ever heard of the IRS spending resources to hunt down people they owe? Neither have we.

What to know

• The IRS will NEVER call, text or email you about a refund or a debt you owe.
• They will send you a letter through the mail.

What to do:

• Hang up and call the IRS phone number listed on their website.
• The IRS may ask you to help by sharing the caller’s number and details about your conversation (sorry, a tax credit for good citizenship is unlikely).

A scarier kind of call goes like this, “You owe back taxes. We’re putting a lien on your assets.”

These threats usually come from the fictitious Bureau of Tax Enforcement.

What to know:

• No one from any tax department — county, state or federal — will expect you to clear a lien over the phone.
• Any instructions they give you to pay your bill will direct those funds into a scammer’s account.

What to do:

• Hang up and call or visit the government department to verify.

Give me your password so I can protect (I mean, take over) your account

Account takeovers happen when you unintentionally give someone else access to your account. Impersonators pretend to call from companies you trust, claiming they’re protecting you from a scam attempt on your account (ironic, eh?!). By giving them access, you’re letting them carry out the very scam they warned you about.

A caller tells you, “I’m with [fill in the blank], your account’s been compromised. Share remote access with me and I’ll walk you through securing your account.”

What to know:

• Giving a scammer remote access to your computer shows them how to log into your account without you so they can drain all your money.

What to do:

• Hang up!
• Reach out to the company that supposedly called you to confirm and report the scam.

Yes, scammers have called Stanford FCU members pretending to be us and asking for login credentials to our members’ accounts!

What to know:

• Stanford FCU will NEVER ask you for your password or login information. Not in person, not over the phone, not through text or email.

What to do:

• If someone claims to be from Stanford FCU asking for personal information, hang up.
• Call us immediately at 888.723.7328.
• Your call could help prevent another member from getting scammed.

Account takeovers caused more than $2 billion in losses nationwide. Unfortunately, that included some of our own members!

At Stanford FCU, it’s our mission to improve the financial lives of our members. That means we WANT you to call us BEFORE you wind up a victim of fraud.

Learn more, visit our Fraud and Security web page at sfcu.org/security.

Remember to slow down and think before reacting.

Please call us directly anytime you’re unsure of a call, text or email from us. We’re available 24/7 at 888.723.7328.

Stay safe!