Most of us like to think we’d recognize a scam if we saw one. We’d notice the strange email address, question the unexpected text, or know better than to give someone our account or personal information over the phone.

The problem is that fraud doesn’t always look suspicious. A message may appear to come from a company you know. A caller may already have some of your personal information. Instead of trying to recognize every scam that comes along, a better defense is building everyday habits that make it harder for fraud to succeed.

Fraud Doesn’t Always Announce Itself
Fraud attempts have become part of everyday life. They arrive through emails, text messages, phone calls, social media, online shopping, and other places we regularly spend time.

That makes awareness important, but awareness alone has limits. You may recognize nine suspicious messages and still click the tenth because you’re busy, distracted, or the request happens to sound believable that day.

That’s why protecting yourself shouldn’t depend entirely on spotting the scam.

Think about home security. Locking the front door helps, but you may also have outdoor lights, cameras, an alarm, or neighbors who keep an eye on things while you’re away. No single measure has to provide all the protection because several smaller safeguards are working together.

Your financial life can work the same way.

Start With a 60-Second Money Check
You probably check your email, texts, weather, or social media every day. Add your money to the list.

Once a day, open the credit union’s mobile banking app or online banking and spend about a minute looking at your accounts. You don’t need to analyze your budget or balance every purchase. You’re simply checking whether the activity looks familiar.

A simple routine can help you remember what to do:

Open. Review. Recognize.

• Open your accounts.
• Review the latest transactions.
• Recognize the purchases, transfers, withdrawals, and deposits you see.

If something doesn’t belong, act. Contact the credit union immediately using a trusted phone number or another verified method so the activity can be reviewed.

The habit takes very little time, but it helps solve one of the biggest problems with fraud - suspicious activity can be difficult to address if nobody notices it.

Let Your Accounts Get Your Attention
Of course, you aren’t going to spend the entire day looking at your accounts, nor should you. That’s where text alerts and notifications can become another useful layer.

Spend a few minutes in online banking enrolling to receive notifications for certain transactions, low balances, debit card activity, or other account events. Credit card issuers and other financial providers generally offer similar tools.

Choose alerts that help you notice activity you care about without overwhelming you with notifications. For example, you might want to know when a purchase exceeds a certain dollar amount or when money is deposited into your account.

The goal isn’t to monitor every dollar in real time. It’s to provide peace of mind knowing you’ll be notified if something unusual happens in your account.

Don’t Respond to the Message
Some of the most convincing fraud attempts work because they create urgency. There’s a problem with your account. A package can’t be delivered. A payment failed. Someone accessed your account. You need to act immediately.

Before you do, change how the interaction happens.

If an unexpected message says there’s a problem with your credit union account, don’t reply to the text or call the number it provides. Contact the credit union through a number you already know, or one listed on our website or mobile app. If an email says there’s a problem with an online purchase, open the retailer’s app or website yourself instead of following the link.

The habit is simple:

When you’re unsure, don’t continue the conversation. Start a new one.
By creating your own path back to the organization, you’re no longer relying on the message itself to prove that it’s legitimate.

Make Your Password Work Harder
Strong passwords still matter, but one password shouldn’t be responsible for protecting everything. Use different passwords for important financial, email, and other sensitive accounts rather than recycling the same one across multiple websites. A reputable password manager can also help you create and store unique passwords without requiring you to remember every single one.

Whenever it’s available, turn on multifactor authentication, too. That additional verification step creates another barrier if someone obtains your password.

While none of these habits make fraud completely impossible, they do help you avoid making mistakes that could give someone access to your account.

Watch Your Credit & Your Money
Checking your financial accounts regularly can help you spot transactions you don’t recognize, but not every form of fraud will show up there. Someone using your personal information to apply for new credit, for example, may leave clues on your credit report instead.

That’s why both habits matter. Review your credit report periodically for unfamiliar accounts, inquiries, or other information that doesn’t belong to you. If your credit report includes something you don’t recognize, investigate it rather than assuming it’s an error that will eventually disappear.

At the same time, continue monitoring the checking, savings, and credit card accounts you already use. Remember, your credit report and online account transactions show two different things. Monitoring both provides a more thorough level of protection.

Consider Freezing Your Credit
Credit monitoring can help you discover suspicious activity. A credit freeze can go one step further by making it harder for someone to open certain new credit accounts using your identity.

Freezing your credit doesn’t mean something is wrong, and you don’t have to wait until you’ve experienced identity theft to do it. You can place a freeze with each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and temporarily lift or remove it when you need someone to access your credit.

A freeze won’t prevent every type of fraud, including unauthorized activity on accounts you already have. That’s why it works best as an additional layer rather than as your entire defense.

Build Layers, Not One Perfect Defense
There isn’t one password, alert, app, or security setting that can guarantee you’ll never experience fraud. Fortunately, you don’t need to depend on just one.

Think about the habits we’ve built so far throughout this article. Each one creates another obstacle or another opportunity to notice when something isn’t right:

• Check your financial accounts regularly.
• Set useful transaction and account alerts.
• Use unique passwords and multifactor authentication.
• Verify unexpected requests through a trusted source.
• Review your credit reports for unfamiliar activity.
• Consider freezing your credit when appropriate.

Individually, each habit is fairly simple. Together, they create layers between your money and someone trying to access it.

That’s a much more realistic goal than trying to memorize every scam you might encounter. Fraud tactics will continue to change, but these habits remain useful even when the message, phone call, or approach looks different.

If Something Doesn’t Look Right, Act
Even with strong habits in place, you may eventually notice a transaction, account, or request that doesn’t look familiar. When that happens, don’t wait to see whether another suspicious charge appears.

Contact the credit union or other financial providers promptly through a trusted channel and explain what you noticed. Depending on what happened, you may also need to change passwords, secure affected cards or accounts, review your credit report, or take additional steps to protect your identity.

You don’t need to diagnose the entire problem before asking for help. Allow the credit union the opportunity to help you determine what should happen next.

We’re Here to Help!
Fraud prevention can seem overwhelming when new scams emerge daily. Instead of trying to keep up with the latest ploys, start with habits you can control. Spend a minute reviewing your accounts daily, turn on useful alerts, use strong passwords, and enroll in multifactor authentication.

If you have questions about the digital tools available to protect your accounts or believe you were a victim of fraud, we’re here to help. Please stop by the Credit Union or call 410-687-5240 to speak with a team member today.

Each individual’s financial situation is unique and readers are encouraged to contact the Credit Union when seeking financial advice on the products and services discussed. This article is for educational purposes only; the authors assume no legal responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of the contents.

8/17/26