Fraud Center

Fraud Protection Resources

We take security very seriously. We know you do too. View our resources below to help you stay safe from fraud.

Protect Yourself

Below are ways you can protect yourself from fraud.

Scam Overview

Fraud Alerts

Recent Alerts

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COVID-19 Era Scams

Criminals may be impersonating financial institutions and government agencies over email and voicemail and asking credit card account holders to provide personal information. Criminals in possession of card details and other info may even spoof phone numbers from financial institutions to fool cardholders. To help keep your information and finances safe, we encourage you to understand the following:

  • Evergreen will never ever ask you over the phone for your PIN, CV2 codes or Expiration Dates.
  • A text alert warning of suspicious activity on a card will NEVER include:
    • A link to be clicked. Cardholders should never click on a link in a text message that is supposedly from us
    • Vague reference to a “Merchant” transaction; details should be included
    • Requests for cardholder data such as card numbers, PINs, CV2 Codes, Expiration Date
  • A phone call from a Member Service Center agent will only include a request for the cardholder Zip code, and no other personal information, unless the cardholder confirms that a transaction is fraudulent.
  • If a call is received by the cardholder, claiming to be your Member Service Center and asking to verify transactions, no information should have to be provided by the cardholder other than their Zip code, and a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the transactions provided.

We will continue to share updates and encourage you to contact us if you suspect fraudulent activity.

Amazon Fraud Scam

12/10/19

Scammers are calling claiming to be from Amazon's Fraud Detection Department. They are calling to "help individuals resolve a purchase" that may have posted to their account. The scammer then coerces you to give them remote access to your computer, where they begin navigating to websites like Western Union and perform other various transactions (Wire Transfers, Gift Card Purchases, etc.) with your Debit or Credit card information. This activity is all completed under the guise of an Amazon employee.

Be careful about answering phone calls you suspect are fraudulent. Respectable companies typically do not ask for debit or credit card information over the phone.

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Past Alerts

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Phone Call Fraud

Some members have reported receiving fraudulent phone calls from individuals (scammers) posing as an Evergreen Credit Union mortgage or loan officer and offering to assist them with loan financing. The caller then asks for upfront funds to get the loan process started.

The member’s caller-ID may show the call as coming from Evergreen Credit Union; however, the call is likely being “spoofed” by the scammer.

What is spoofing?

"Spoofing" occurs when a caller (scammer) deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity.

What you can do if you think you're being spoofed:

  • You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be careful about responding to any request for personal identifying information.
  • Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
  • If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency seeking personal information, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request.
  • Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.

Equifax Breach

9/13/2017

Evergreen Credit Union wants to help our members navigate the Equifax breach. Though this breach was not related in any way to your credit union, our commitment is to helping our members. We’ve compiled a summary for our members, as well as links and resources to help our members learn more, and take action to protect their identity and information.

Equifax: Next Steps

Like many Americans, you may be concerned that your private information was exposed in the recent Equifax breach. We understand and want to help our members by providing information and resources. We encourage all of our members to visit the Equifax site to discover if their private information may have been compromised and to take advantage of the free credit monitoring service Equifax is providing to all consumers.

1. Find Out If You Were Impacted

Visit equifaxsecurity2017.com and click on the Check Potential Impact Tab. Enter your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number.

2. Enroll In Credit Monitoring

Equifax is providing one year of free monitoring protection through TrustedID for all consumers, even those not affected by the breach. After checking your potential impact, you will be given an enrollment date to return and sign up for the free service. TrustedID allows you to monitor your credit. It also provides identity-theft insurance and internet scanning of your social security number.

Equifax has also set up a dedicated call center at (866) 447-7559 where you can speak to someone regarding any questions you may have about the breach.

We understand the importance of your personal information and want to make sure you know Evergreen Credit Union is committed to keeping that information safe and secure. If you have additional questions for us, please call (207) 221-5000.

Additional Resources

Scam Scenarios

Don't be the next victim of a scam! ECU is aware of many active scams affecting members. Be cautious if:

  • an offer sounds too good to be true
  • a person or organization sends you a check, then instructs you to return some of the funds or send them elsewhere

Don't get caught in one of these scam scenarios:

Scam #1

Sally was selling her couch for $500. She was sent a check from a "buyer" for $1,000 via UPS, who then asked her to send the shipper $450 via Western Union which she did; however, she could keep the $50 extra for her troubles. The buyer's check was fraudulent, so Sally was out $450.

Scam #2

Jeff was advised he "won" the lottery that he didn't even know he had entered. He was instructed to open an account and then "they" would begin sending him checks directly to the new account. However, in return he needed to pay taxes by sending a nominal fee to the lottery "processors". Jeff received $4,000 and sent back $1,000. Again, the lottery check was fake, and Jeff lost $1,000.

Scam #3

Julie met a guy and fell in love online. Julie was struggling with bills and her wonderful "boyfriend" was going to get his secretary to send her some money - $10,000. The boyfriend claimed his secretary "sent too much" and needed a little bit back, so Julie sent back $3,000 deducted from "his" money she received by a bad check.

Chipotle Breach

4/27/2017

Chipotle Mexican Grill (Chipotle) is currently investigating fraudulent activity on its payment processing network as a result of a data breach at Chipotle. Debit or credit cards used for payment at Chipotle locations from March 24 to April 18, 2017 were exposed and may be at risk for further fraud.

Affected Evergreen CU members have been notified of this potential risk. Chipotle, as well as law enforcement, cyber security firms, and the restaurant’s payments processor will notify the public when more details have surfaced.

Please continue to carefully monitor your Evergreen debit card activity via Online Banking or our Mobile App.

For further questions, please call member services at (207) 221-5000. You can also visit Chipotle's security page.

Retail Fraud

12/22/2016

We are hearing from members that fraudulent transactions are occurring throughout Maine at various retail locations. As always, please check your accounts regularly and report any suspicious activity as soon as possible by visiting one of your local branches.

Fraudulent Text Messages

9/12/2016

Members and customers of multiple credit unions and banks in Maine are receiving fraudulent text messages. These text messages inform members that their debit cards have been compromised and that they should call a toll-free number to fix the situation. Once the member calls, they are asked to provide their card number and CVV2 code.

These text messages are not from Evergreen CU, and members should delete the messages if they get them.

Find more information about the situation in a news article here.

Square Payment Service Blocked

10/5/2015

For those who personally use or visit a business that uses the Square payment service:

Evergreen CU recently identified a significant increase in fraudulent activity associated with Square, the payment processing tool used by some members on their smartphone or tablet devices, or by businesses as a payment processing tool for your purchase.

As a result of the amount of fraud to date, Evergreen will be blocking some transactions associated with the Square service, effective immediately.

We take fraud and security very seriously, and we understand that this action may adversely impact some members who personally use the Square service, or purchase goods from a business who may be utilizing the Square payment service. We will continue to monitor the fraudulent activity associated with Square on a day-by-day basis.

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