A Few Warning Signs of Common Fraud Schemes —

As part of American Airlines Federal Credit Union’s ongoing commitment to your financial security, we wanted to provide you some helpful tips and advice on some modern fraud schemes in which we’ve seen a recent surge. These fraud schemes come in many different forms – so stay alert and remember the old saying – “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”

Most often, scammers will contact you asking you to send money back to someone who is handling an inheritance or lottery/prize winnings, however, they might also involve a loan application, a job you were hired to do or a friend who needs help. The end result, however, is usually the same – you fall victim to a criminal.

These scams can end up costing victims up to $1,000, with some costing upwards of millions of dollars. Be aware. However tempting the offer may seem, don’t fall for it.

Here are some tell-tale warning signs that an unsolicited text, phone call or email might be a potential scam. Watch out if it asks you to:

• Provide assistance in accessing funds held in a foreign country by paying taxes or other fees
• Pay fees for a loan or to boost your credit rating before you are granted a loan
• Access your account online or make deposits to your account
• Return an overpayment for an agreed-upon amount for merchandise to them or another party
• Give your Visa^® debit card and PIN to someone in order to be paid for a job
• Send funds out via Western Union or MoneyGram^®, as part of a job assignment, after you are sent checks and instructed to deposit them to your account
• Withdraw cash from your account and deposit the cash at another financial institution, after you are sent checks and have deposited them to your account
• Send merchandise out or money via MoneyGram or Western Union as part of a mystery shopping job
• Purchase prepaid cards or prepaid phones as part of a mystery shopping job

These scenarios only begin to give you an idea of the numerous fraud scams that exist, so if you have any questions about a transaction, please contact the Credit Union at (800) 533-0035 and ask to speak to the Fraud Department for assistance.

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MoneyGram is a registered trademark of MoneyGram.