Suffolk cops are warning residents about a phone and text message scam that is circulating through the area.
The Suffolk County Police Identity Theft Unit says the scam is designed to obtain debit card and personal identification numbers (PIN). People have reported receiving text or voice messages reporting their credit union debit card number has been closed and to contact the credit union at 845-765-9464 to reactivate the account.
The calls tell the people they will have to provide their account and PIN numbers when they contact the credit union.
Several area credit unions are being affected. Suffolk PIO did not identify them specifically. There seems to be no pattern to the calls, either. Cell phones and landlines do appear to be chosen randomly for the scam. Police do not think any secure databases were obtained for the scam, either. If a resident has been contacted in this manner and provided their account information they should contact their financial institution immediately.
Law enforcement officals say that no financial institution will contact you by mail, phone or internet to request your account information. Do not provide any information to the callers. Contact your financial institution directly to check if there was a legitimate inquiry about your account. Residents are told to not trust caller ID, either.
