ESL Federal Credit Union warns members of text scam. What to know

Emily Barnes, New York State Team
·2 min read

A Rochester-based credit union is warning its members of a recent uptick in fraudulent text messages and calls.

ESL Federal Credit Union alerted members to the fraud attempts through a thread on X last week after receiving reports of fraudulent text messages that asked members to provide personal information through a link.

Some have also received phone calls from someone claiming they are from the individual's bank or credit union asking them to confirm their identity by providing personal details.

Here's what to know about ESL FCU's fraud alert and how you can steer clear of the scam.

What to know about ESL's fraud alert

ESL FCU wants to make their members aware of the recent increase in fraudulent phishing schemes, which include text messages attempting to confirm cash withdrawal requests, money transfers and payments.

ESL FCU said they will never ask you to:

  • Click links in text messages to verify information

  • Provide banking login credentials

  • Share Apple, Samsung or Google ID information

  • Provide any two-factor authentication codes or confirm login codes that have been sent to your phone or email

If you have any questions about a call, text or piece of mail you have received, contact ESL FCU at 585-336-1000.

Robocalls are out, robotexts are in: What to know about the growing phone scam

How to protect yourself from scams

Telemarketing calls have decreased across New York, according to the New York State Department of Consumer Protection's 2022 Annual Report, but robotexts have been increasing.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself from scammers of all kinds, according to the FCC:

  • Block unwanted calls

  • Don't respond to texts from unknown numbers

  • Hang up on phone scammers

  • Never share sensitive personal or financial information by text

  • Look out for misspellings or texts that originate with an email address

  • Think twice before clicking any links in a text message

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What to do if you think you've been a victim of a scam

If you think you've been a victim of a text scam that affected your finances or personal information, report it first to your bank to dispute any financial transactions.

Then consider reporting the scam to organizations like the National Consumers League's Fraud.org, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Better Business Bureau's scam tracker, or to the state Attorney General's office.

You can also report texting scam attempts to your wireless service provider by forwarding unwanted texts to 7726 or "SPAM."

Emily Barnes is the New York State Team consumer advocate reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: ESL Federal Credit Union warns members of text scam in Rochester NY