Residents in the Auburn-Opelika area have been receiving phone calls from scammers posing as the security department of the Auburn University Federal Credit Union.
The recording asks for the customer's debit card number and their PIN number, and once the scammers have the debit card number, they create a debit card and use it to deplete the customer's bank account, said Henry Armstrong, Credit Union president.
"They're saying to press '1' for further information or to call another number, which is a legitimate number for us," Armstrong said.
Although members of the Credit Union are the target of the scam, anyone could receive a call, Armstrong said.
A similar call is targeting Alabama Power customers in the area.
"It's happening to anybody that lives in the service area," Armstrong said. "They don't have access to our member information, so they call everybody and hope they get some of our members."
Captain Tom Stofer of the Auburn Police Department said the callers try hundreds of phone numbers hoping to get one or two people to give them information.
One person has fallen victim to the scam so far, Stofer said.
Stofer said college students who are new to banking may be more likely to become victims.
"We just want to make them aware that if you ever get a phone call saying 'we need you to give us personal information,' don't ever do that," Stofer said.
Armstrong echoed Stofer's warning and said he advises people to hang up if they receive a call asking for personal information.
"If they're questioning whether it's real or fake, they should immediately call their financial institution," Armstrong said. "The Credit Union and any financial institution I'm aware of would never call one of its members and ask for any personal information."
Financial institutions don't ask for this information primarily to prevent scams like this from happening, Armstrong said.
Stofer said the scam is under investigation , but it is difficult to find out the origin of the calls.
"A lot of times the calls originate from another state or even from overseas," Stofer said.
Armstrong said the Credit Union will reimburse anyone who falls victim to the scam, but he advises people to never give out their personal banking information, even to friends.
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