If you've been receiving more scam phone calls lately, you're not alone.
Updated 6/30/2021
We’ve received many comments below regarding automated fraud detection calls. With the rise in phone scams, understandably so, many of you are cautious when receiving these calls (and that’s great!). But how do you know if a call is a scam, or legitimate?
Many credit unions, banks, and other card companies, including HFS FCU utilize automated fraud detection services to continuously monitor our member’s accounts for potential fraudulent activity. As a consumer, it’s your responsibility to remain vigilant and protect your sensitive information like card number, PIN, etc. It’s important to listen for questions that seem suspicious or unnecessary, even if the caller is claiming to be be from your financial institution. With the rise in phone scams, it’s more important than ever to be cautious.
Important Reminder: Phone numbers can be spoofed. Call Spoofing is when a fraudster calls and replaces their phone number with another business or organizations number to be displayed on your device. And unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done to stop them. Although many of our commenters have inquired on the legitimacy of the phone numbers they’ve received calls from, it is most important to still remain cautious. If ever in doubt, simply hang up and call the credit union directly at (808) 930-1400 (not by hitting redial).
For more fraud and security tips, check out our other educational blog posts or our security center.
This holiday season has seen a dramatic increase in scam phone calls, with scammers becoming more sophisticated. Some of the common calls include auto warranty scams and IRS scams claiming you will be arrested if you don’t pay what you owe. A lot of us know not to answer phone calls that come from other states or even countries if we don’t recognize the number, but these scam calls are now even using an 808 area code and can even call using a number similar to your own or similar to a friend or family’s number, making it hard to recognize which calls can be answered.
As a general rule of thumb, if you don’t know the phone number you should let it go to voicemail. I always say if it’s important they’ll leave a message, and that’s how I’ll know if the call was legitimate or not. If by chance you did answer the phone, do not say “yes”! There are scammers that record your voice when you answer and try to get you to say the word “yes”. They then can use the recording of your voice to say that you agreed to sign up for some kind of service, etc that can cost you money and headaches after the fact. However, to be safe, let it go to voicemail and save yourself the frustration during this holiday season.
Take a look at this article from Hawaii News Now for more information!
I received a robo phone message from 877-253-8807 stating it was the HFSFCU Fraud Detection Center verifying my recent transaction and they had a case number. Is this a legit number?
Aloha Richardson,
HFS partners with a third party to help us detect potential fraudulent activity on our members cards, so the call that you received is from that service and that is a legitimate number. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us directly at (808) 930-1400 or (800) 216-2666. Mahalo!
I received a phone call from 844-682-4502 stating it was the HFSFCU Fraud Detection Center verifying my recent transaction and they had a case number. Is this a legit number? They were ask a lot of personal information questions over the phone. If this is legit it is a very poor way of doing business.
Hi Michael,
Yes, that is our Fraud Detection Center. There are some standard questions that they ask to confirm your identity before proceeding with the call, but if it ever happens again and you don’t feel comfortable answering their questions, please hang up and give us a call directly and we can assist you. If there were any specific questions that you feel should not have been asked, please email us at [email protected] with those questions and we can look further into the situation. Mahalo!
I received a phone call from 844-682-4502 stating it was the SECU Fraud Detection Center. How should I know this is legitimate call?
Smells like scam to me.
Aloha Tomasz, if you get a call like this and aren’t sure of the legitimacy of it, hang up and call your financial institution directly. They will have the same information and can assist you as well. It’s always better to be cautious!
I was called by the HFSFCU Fraud Detection Center, but I didn’t really believe it. Hence, I deleted the voicemail they left so I don’t know the case number. I tried to use my card a couple days later. My card was declined even though I have money in my account. I called customer service and to my surprise, they asked for a telephone passcode. I have no idea what that is.
Aloha Jaliyah – We do have a Fraud Detection Center that will call, and if you’re unsure about the call being legitimate give the Credit Union a call directly, just like you did. It is always better to be cautious! When you call, they will ask you for a telephone passcode which is a unique code that you set up when you created your account that allows us to verify that it is you calling in order to access your account. If you need assistance updating this passcode, please visit us at any branch location. Mahalo!
i need help finding the pone number
Aloha Kristenia, are you looking for our phone number? If so, you can call us at (808) 930-1400. Thanks!
Before I would give them any information I asked them for their company name, address, and phone because by LAW they have to provide that info when asked and the rep who I was speaking to said that she could not give me their company info…. Sorry, but that is the first sign that this is a SCAM call and would never give them my personal info. If this really is a legit 3rd party company your using, then you better talk to the heads of that company and advise them they need to follow the law and provide their info when asked. Those of us that worked in the banking industry and collections dept. will always ask for this info from any company calling us asking us for personal info. If they don’t provide it, it makes them look FRAUD.
Aloha Stacy, that’s another great way to spot fraud. Thanks for sharing!
I received a call from 844 682 4502, claiming to be fraud detection center. They gave me a case number and everything. I called my bank and they said there was nothing unusual and that my account was active. I then called my banks fraud detection center and entered the case number and the case didn’t exist. Very strange.
Hi Liberty,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience. You did the right thing by calling your financial institution after hearing from the fraud center. We always recommend doing this if you are unsure about the legitimacy of the call. In situations like this you can also double check your account statements or online activity to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions.
Mahalo!
I received a voicemail from card holder services :my card ending in **** and actually said the numbers a hold has been placed on it for resent activity of suspicious fraud, gave a 10digit case number and a phone number to call back , 844-369-7239 It should identify what service or card they are calling about I am a victim of Id thief and I only use one card but there has been several times my name has been used for other card credit
Hi Christy,
Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate your concern. The Fraud Detection Center will identify themselves as HFS Federal Credit Union. They will contact you if there is any suspicious activity on your debit card. For security purposes, they will only verify the last 4 digits of the card number and recent activity on that card. They should not ask for any sensitive information. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of the call, please feel free to call us directly at (808) 930-1400 and we can assist you as well. Mahalo!
I got a recorded voice-mail from844 682 4502 this morning.They had my name and the last 4 digits of my card number.Said that unusual activity had been detected on my card and that a hold could be placed on my card.I have a company issued pay card.Ive had to get a new card several times and change pin numbers frequently. I’ve considered finding a local bank.
Hi Tom,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We sent a response directly to your email. Mahalo!
I received a call from a fraud detection center 844-682-4502 saying they were going to put a block on my card. They wanted me to give them a case # and I noticed that my phone screen was orange, the color of my spam screen. So I just hung up, called my bank and they told me there was no block on my card and their fraud detection center didn’t have anything on their side.
Aloha Theresa, thank you for sharing! You did the right thing by hanging up and calling your bank directly. It’s always better to be safe when you’re not sure. Great catch!
People need to be aware that all security measures are being spoofed and used to steal personal information I have had this happen several times. They call after a transaction but it’s usually a transaction that is not a reason to be a security concern or they ask unusual questions so now I don’t answer and call the financial institution and verify the information with them if there’s a reason they will always be able to verify it
Aloha Doreen – thank you for sharing! Yes, it’s very important to be aware of all the ways that scammers are working to steal information. What you did is perfect – calling your financial institution directly. That’s definitely what we always recommend to do!