A loved one is in trouble and wants me to wire money to them. How do I know this isn’t fraud?

Fraudsters often play on a potential victim’s emotions. They will pretend to be a loved one who is in trouble in order to get the victim to send money. If a loved one calls you and needs you to send money, stop and think before acting on the request. Can you call your loved one to determine if they are actually in trouble? Often, this is a call from a fraudster pretending to be a grandchild. The fraudster will say that the grandchild is out of the country and needs help getting out of jail. If this is the case, try calling the grandchild or his/her parent to determine if this is true. Also, if you can see the phone number from which the “grandchild” is calling, type that into your Internet browser combined with the word “scam”. The fraudsters often tell their victims to not say anything or to lie to the credit union.

Prior to sending the funds, have a conversation with an RCU branch manager or member service representative 1(800) 479-7928. Explain the situation and let RCU help you determine if it’s a scam.