JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A longtime VyStar Credit Union member says an employee accessed her account without permission, an allegation that surfaced after an earlier media report on a separate lawsuit involving a customer who lost $42,000 in an impersonation scam.
News4JAX reported that several VyStar members contacted the television station with concerns following its Aug. 19 report about a Jacksonville woman who sued the credit union, alleging VyStar failed to properly investigate after scammers impersonating credit union representatives gained access to her accounts.
The CU Daily had coverage of the earlier lawsuit here.
One longtime member, who spoke to News4JAX on condition of anonymity, said she discovered that a VyStar employee had accessed her account even though she had not contacted the credit union or authorized the access.
The woman said she had been communicating with someone she knew personally who mentioned working for VyStar. Several days later, she received a text asking her to rate an interaction with a VyStar representative.
‘Wait a Minute’
“I was like, wait a minute, I never called VyStar,” she told News4JAX.
The member contacted VyStar and said a representative confirmed that the person had accessed her account.
No money was taken, but the woman said she was concerned about what personal information the employee may have viewed.
“I just feel very violated in a sense,” she said. “VyStar gotta tighten up. That’s all I’m saying. They have to tighten up.”
The member said she has used VyStar for decades and was particularly troubled by the possibility that sensitive information connected to her account had been viewed.
“I don’t know what that individual could have possibly wanted to look at my information for,” she said. “But like I said, my personal info was exposed and that’s why I felt so violated.”
VyStar Disputes Broader Security Concerns
The $14.2-billion VyStar has not publicly addressed the member’s specific allegations, according to News4JAX, but rejected any suggestion that the credit union has an ongoing security problem.
“VyStar invests heavily and continuously in protecting our members’ accounts and information, and we maintain a sophisticated and robust set of safeguards across our systems,” a VyStar spokesperson told News4JAX. “Any suggestion that there is an ongoing pattern or problem with the security of our systems is false, and nothing that has been provided to us supports that characterization.”
VyStar said it, like other financial institutions, is experiencing an increase in scams in which criminals impersonate financial institution employees and persuade consumers to voluntarily provide account credentials.
Warning for Members
As many credit unions have been doing around the country, VyStar union warned members not to provide one-time passcodes or account information to anyone who contacts them by text, email or phone, even if the person claims to represent a financial institution.
VyStar told News 4 JAX its fraud detection and prevention systems include real-time alerts asking members to confirm or deny suspicious activity, with accounts locked when fraudulent activity is confirmed. The credit union also maintains 24-hour monitoring for card-related fraud and offers round-the-clock assistance for members reporting suspected fraud.
VyStar said it regularly updates its fraud-prevention systems as criminals change their tactics and provides fraud education through emails, webinars, social media, seminars and branch programs.
The anonymous member told News4JAX that her case is different from an impersonation scam because she did not provide account credentials to anyone and did not lose money.
Instead, she said her concern centers on why an employee allegedly accessed her account and what information may have been viewed.
“I just want them to do better,” she said.
