Financial Resources

At Capital Area FCU, we want to be your BFF…your Best Financial Friend! Our goal is to provide the best possible products and services to help you meet your financial needs. Here are a few resources that may help you toward that goal:

Remember, when you leave Capital Area Federal Credit Union’s Web site, links to external Web sites are not under the control of Capital Area Federal Credit Union. We can make no representation concerning the content, quality, safety, or suitability of these sites or their contents, nor are we liable for the content or availability of these sites. We have listed them only as a convenience to our members.

Fraud Protection

Money Transfer Apps

Transferring money to people is easier than ever with CashApp, Venmo, etc. But these apps are also easy targets for scammers.

  • Only send money to people who you know and trust.
  • Never use these apps to transfer money to someone claiming to send you a larger amount of money in return.
  • Avoid using these apps to pay people for items or services (like a new pet or an apartment) if you don’t know and trust the other person well and cannot verify that what they are selling is real.
  • Read their websites. These companies often have dedicated sections on their websites with information to help you use their apps safely.    

Phishing Scams

You receive an email from a seemingly familiar enterprise that you deem legitimate, such as your bank, university or a retailer you frequent. The message directs you to a site—usually to verify personal information such as email addresses and passwords—that then steals your information and exposes your computer to attack by scammers.

Phishing emails and text messages frequently tell stories to trick people into clicking on a link or opening an attachment.

For example, phishing attempts may:

  • Say they’ve noticed suspicious activity or log-in attempts on your account
  • Claim there’s a problem with your account or payment information
  • Say you need to confirm or update personal information
  • Include a fake invoice
  • Ask you to click on a link to make a payment
  • Claim you’re eligible to sign up for a government refund
  • Offer a coupon for free goods or services

Tech Support Scams

With this scam, you receive a phone call, email, or pop-up warning indicating your computer is infected (ask yourself: How would they know?). The scammer then:

  • Prompts you to download an application that allows them to control your computer remotely;
  • Downloads an actual virus or otherwise makes you believe that something is wrong; and
  • Tells you they can fix the problem for a fee.

Another way to reach you is through search results: Tech support scammers work hard to get their websites to show up in online search results, or they run their own ads.

If you gave a scammer remote access to your computer, immediately update your security software, run a thorough scan, and delete anything it identifies as a problem. And, if you shared your user name and password, change those right away, too.

Grandparent Scams

With grandparent scams, a fraudster poses as a panicked grandchild who needs cash right away for some emergency—to get out of jail, to leave a foreign country, or to pay a hospital bill. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even easier to sell compelling lies: “I’m in the hospital with COVID. Please send money right away.” 

You can avoid grandparent scams (and other family emergency scams) if you:

  • Resist the urge to act immediately. Scammers pull at your heartstrings and rely on you to respond quickly—before you’ve had a chance to think things through.
  • Verify the caller’s identity. Ask questions that a stranger wouldn’t be able to answer. Confirm the story with other family members or friends, even if (or especially if) the caller says to keep it a secret.  
  • Never send cash, gift cards, or money transfers. 

Debt-Relief and Credit-Repair Scams

Individuals who are down on their luck can easily fall for an email claiming to relieve their debt or repair bad credit. This scam makes the false promise to negotiate with creditors to either consolidate or settle debts or to remove negative information from your credit report.

Steer clear of any debt-relief company that asks for fees in advance, before it settles any debt. Likewise, avoid any company that guarantees it can eliminate or reduce your debt by X amount by X date. Research any debt-relief or credit-repair service you are considering. 

Lottery Scam

Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery or some other large amount of money! Except you haven’t. This bogus email comes to you out-of-the-blue—usually claiming to be a part of an international sweepstakes—stressing that you’ve won big and that you just need to send over a processing fee or to get in touch with someone who can process your winnings.

Unless you have entered some legitimate lottery, chances are you haven’t won the jackpot. When you win the lottery, you contact the appropriate retailer—not the other way around.

Fake Check or Money Transfer

You list something on an auction-based website, and the winning bidder offers to pay you more than the offered purchase price via cashier’s, corporate or personal check. Upon receiving the scammer’s counterfeit check, you are tricked into sending the difference back through money order or gift cards. Then you have to pay the bank back in full once the fake check bounces.

Never accept payment for more than your selling price. Additionally, you should opt for a secure form of e-payment. 

How to Protect Yourself:

Don’t cash checks for other people. You may want to help other people, but never cash a check in exchange for cash unless you know the person well.

Do your homework. Read and inspect everything. Whether it’s an email, text or arrives in another form, always read the fine print. If an offer looks suspicious or too good to be true, it probably is.

Don’t share personal information. With the correct information, scammers can access almost every aspect of your life. This includes financial and other accounts, as well as stealing your identity. Never share account numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or passwords with anyone—unless you know the person or know it’s a legitimate request.

Avoid high-pressure sales tactics. Don’t accept sales pitches that pressure you to act quickly without first reviewing the fine print.

Avoid paying fees. If you’re sent any offers, prizes or job openings that require an up-front fee, chances are it’s a scam. The same goes for offers from unverified sources that require bank account information in order to redeem or claim them.

File a complaint. If you feel you’ve been the victim of a scam, report it to the proper authorities. 

Use your best judgment. If something doesn’t feel right to you, don’t move forward—whether it’s giving out personal information or clicking on an email link. If you’ve never received a phone call before, think about why you would receive one now.