Southland News

Keep your accounts safe from scammers

Banks and credit unions in our community are seeing a drastic increase in fraud and account takeovers. Scammers are attempting to target Members with fraudulent phone calls, text messages and emails designed to look like they are from Southland Credit Union. 

Reminder: Southland Credit Union will not call, text or email you to ask you for your account information. Do not provide your account verification code to anyone. If you receive a suspicious text message or phone call regarding your account, please contact us directly: 800-426-1917. 

What to look for

Fake text messages and emails. Scammers will attempt to impersonate Southland by sending emails or texts that may appear to come from the credit union. These messages often include urgent requests to verify transactions or confirm account information and may include unsafe links or attachments. 

Fraudulent phone calls. Scammers have the ability to spoof Southland's phone number on your caller ID. They will attempt to impersonate a Southland representative and will claim that there has been suspicious activity on your account. They may ask you to provide sensitive information like your account number, password, a verification code or your Social Security number. 

What to do if you suspect fraud

Don’t respond. If you’re not certain of the source of the call, email or text, then do not respond. Hang up the phone, do not click on links in the email or text message, and do not reply to the text message.

Don’t trust caller ID or answer calls from unknown numbers. If you recognize the caller ID, but the call seems suspicious or unexpected, do not answer. Scammers can spoof phone numbers to appear legitimate.

Don’t give out your information. Never provide any personally identifiable information unless you’re absolutely certain the person you are speaking to is legitimate. Remember, Southland Credit Union will never ask you for a Digital Banking password.

Research and validate. If you receive a suspicious call, text message or email, make sure it’s legitimate. If you’re unexpectedly contacted from someone claiming to be from Southland, always validate by calling through an official number. Here are the ways you can securely contact Southland.

Your security is our priority

Be sure to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts and devices to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. Use it for email, banking, social media and any other service that requires logging in. If MFA is an option for your online services, enable it by using a trusted mobile device or an authenticator app. To learn how to enable MFA in Southland’s Digital Banking and wherever you have accounts online, read our Multi-Factor Authentication Guide(Opens in a new window). 

We are committed to protecting you from fraud. Please take a moment to browse our Security Center to learn more about how to keep your accounts safe. Thank you for taking the time to review this information. If you have questions, please contact us.