Ellington

Jackson, MS–A scam text message has apparently been circulating that targets area credit union members, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today.

The text message alerts the phone customer that they need to verify their Credit Union Account by calling a certain toll free number.

"We received our first report of this apparent scam from the Mississippi Credit Union Association which tells us that they have had several complaints from Jackson area credit union members who had received this text message," said Attorney General Hood. "So far, we have confirmed that one person actually fell for the scam and his account had to be closed."

Investigators with the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office are looking into the complaints.

"These scammers are hard to track because they set up and take down these numbers on a regular basis," said Attorney General Hood. "The best protection in these types of situations is education. Consumers need to understand the scam is circulating, learn what to look out for and most importantly, do not respond."

This text messaging scam is similar to the so-called "phishing scam" usually seen by email. In this case, the scammers send text messages to random phone numbers with the Jackson area code. Eventually, someone falls for the "hook" and the crooks make a "catch". When the potential victim calls the given scam number, the crooks pose as credit union representatives and ask for confidential information. Once given, they have the potential to steal both your identity and your credit union money.

"The key is simple," said Attorney General Hood. "Never, ever give out your personal information to anyone in this manner. Also, realize that your credit union most likely will not communicate with you via text message and/or email."

Anyone who suspects they have been a victim of this fraud or any other, should call the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office for assistance at 1-800-281-4418.

This alert and others like it can be found at http://www.agjimhood.com