Impersonator scams

Someone will pretend to be from the IRS, immigration or law enforcement. They will try to scare you saying you owe taxes, there’s a problem with your visa or that you’re in trouble with the law. Remember these agencies won’t usually call people, so any call claiming to be from them is mostly likely from a scammer.

Someone will pretend to be an employee of a bank or credit union. They will claim there has been fraud on your account and that you need to secure your account by giving them personal information like your login credentials or a Secure Access Code. Don’t give it to them!

Lottery scams

Scammers might say you won the lottery, but need to pay taxes up front. This is false. Lottery winners don’t need to pay taxes in advance.

Overpayment and check scams

Scammers might send a large check to you and ask you to keep part of the money while sending them the rest. In reality, the check is going to bounce and the money won’t stay in your account. You’ll lose whatever funds you send to them.

• Some scammers can also forge official-looking Cashier’s Checks.

Romance scams

Scammers may make contact with you online as a potential love interest. They never live locally, and they always end up asking for money. Be very careful sending money to someone you haven’t met in person!

Gift cards

• Gift cards are a popular payment method for scammers to request because they can’t be traced or recovered.
• If someone is asking you to make a payment in gift cards, it’s almost certainly a scam.

Remember to keep your contact information updated so Stanford FCU can contact you if we see anything suspicious!