How to Avoid Phone Fraud as a Columbia Credit Union Member

With fraudsters targeting financial institutions using phone “spoofing” scams, here’s how to stay safe as a Columbia Credit Union member.

Spoofing is when a scammer impersonates a known phone number, such as Columbia Credit Union’s 360-891-4000 and 800-699-4009 phone numbers. Caller ID may say it’s Columbia CU calling, leading members to believe they’re talking to someone from Columbia CU, while fraudsters are in fact tricking members into sharing their usernames, their passwords, and their one-time passcodes! These bad actors are professionals and very, very convincing. 

Remember: Columbia Credit Union, government agencies, and other financial institutions will never ask you to input your personally identifiable information such as card numbers, online banking credentials, PINs, card expiration dates, or CV2 codes over the phone.

If at any point you are uncertain about questions being asked or the call itself, HANG UP and call us directly at Columbia Credit Union: 360-891-4000.

Columbia Credit Union’s Fight Against Phone Fraud

Rest assured, our staff is knowledgeable about fraud and how to work with people to spot red flags. When it comes to spoofing, we work with a cyber security vendor and phone carriers to take the bad actors down so they can no longer spoof our phone numbers.

When it comes to keeping your cards safe, remember that a phone call from one of our legitimate fraud call centers will only include a request for the cardholder ZIP code and no other information—unless the cardholder confirms that a transaction is fraudulent. Only then will the cardholder be transferred to an agent, who will ask questions to confirm the cardholder’s identity before going through the transaction history.

Text alerts from Columbia Credit Union will always be from a 5-digit number and NOT a 10-digit number resembling a phone number. You’ll be prompted to reply with answers such as “Yes,” “No,” Help,” or “Stop.” A link will NEVER be included.

Check out all of the security-first Digital Services available to Columbia Credit Union members here.