Recent Fraud & Scams Targeting Citadel Members

Please be aware that fraudsters are actively targeting accountholders at banks and credit unions across the region, including Citadel Credit Union.

Recently, Citadel’s phone number has been spoofed and the callers have represented themselves as Citadel employees to trick members into sharing personal information. Scammers have also attempted to spoof Citadel emails and text messages.

Take a look at the specific examples below. Several of our members have recently fallen victim to the following scams:

One-Time Passcode Scams

Fraudsters have persuaded several members to share their one-time passcodes to set up mobile wallets (such as Apple Pay or Google Pay) and P2P payment apps (such as Cash App). Once they have the code, they quickly move money from the member’s Citadel accounts to these apps and steal the funds. Please do not ever give this information to anyone who calls you. Citadel will never call you unexpectedly to request these passcodes.

Phone Calls & Social Engineering

Scammers have also socially engineered private information from members, including credit and debit card information—card numbers, PINs, and/or one-time passcodes. They may call with elaborate stories to convince you to share this information, but please remember Citadel will not ask you for this information or ask you to send your cards anywhere. Do not agree to mail these callers your cards and/or PIN number for “proper destruction”. If you believe your cards or account information may have been compromised, you can visit a Citadel branch for assistance or destroy the card on your own.

Fraud Support Scams

Please do not let fraudsters convince you to respond to a suspicious text message, email, or phone call with a response such as “not fraud”. They may claim to be Citadel employees, but please know we will never tell you to approve a transaction that is fraudulent.

Tech Support Impersonation Scams

Scammers have also gained access to a number of members’ computers by claiming to represent “tech support” of some kind. They have saved illicit materials and information on the computer in order to extort the member for Bitcoin or a sizable funds transfer. They may also attempt to gain access to your online banking services in order to move money electronically to their own accounts before you have an opportunity to go to the police. Avoid this fraudulent activity by ignoring and reporting anyone you don’t know or trust who unexpectedly claims to offer tech support or access your online banking accounts. Learn more about tech support scams and other impersonation scams in our blog post.

What To Do If You Think You’re Being Scammed

If you think you may have been the target of a potential scam or are seeing fraudulent charges on your account(s), please contact us immediately at 800-666-0191, visit a branch, or chat with us via Video Connect so we can help.

We also recommend you immediately turn off any debit or credit cards associated with your account using card controls in Online & Mobile Banking and set up custom account alerts to ensure no other fraudulent transactions are taking place.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our members and will continue to provide information to help you stay ahead of the scammers. Learn more any time at CitadelBanking.com/Security.