MOON TOWNSHIP, Penn. — A Pennsylvania credit union is sharing a scam that is affecting members across the country in order to warn consumers about increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes after one of its members narrowly avoided losing thousands of dollars in a scam involving a caller who appeared to be from the credit union’s fraud department.
According to a report by Yahoo Finance, Clearview Federal Credit Union said a member identified only as Jenna received a call from someone claiming to be with the credit union’s fraud department. The caller said her debit card had been locked because of a suspicious out-of-state transaction.
The caller identified himself as “Mason Bradley,” provided a badge number and referenced account details, according to the report. The call also appeared to come from Clearview’s official phone number.
Situation Escalates
The situation escalated when a second individual joined the call, claiming to be a supervisor, according to the report, which said Jenna became suspicious and texted her husband, who joined the conversation. Rather than continuing with the callers, she ended the call and contacted the credit union directly.
That decision prevented a potential financial loss, according to Yahoo Finance. Clearview said its account compromise team discovered a pending $2,000 Zelle transfer and a failed $1,000 Cash App transaction attempt. The credit union said it canceled the pending transfer, blocked further activity and secured the member’s account.
Caller ID Spoofing
According to the report, the scam relied heavily on caller ID spoofing, a tactic in which criminals manipulate phone systems to make calls appear as though they originate from a trusted organization.
The Federal Trade Commission has warned that scammers can make virtually any name or phone number appear on caller ID displays. The Federal Communications Commission defines caller ID spoofing as the deliberate falsification of information transmitted to caller ID systems in order to disguise a caller’s identity.
In Jenna’s case, the apparent legitimacy of the phone number was reinforced by the use of a fake employee name, a badge number and a second caller posing as a supervisor, Yahoo Finance reported.
Clearview Director of Fraud Prevention Nicholas Homa said consumers should independently verify any unexpected communication involving their financial accounts.
“If someone calls claiming to be from your financial institution, it’s okay to listen, hang up and call the institution back at a trusted number,” Homa said, according to the report.
Growing Threats Beyond Phone Scams
Yahoo Finance also highlighted another emerging fraud scheme known as “ghost tapping,” which exploits contactless payment technology used in tap-to-pay cards and mobile wallets.
The report cited the experience of Chicago resident Emilie Kostecka, who was approached by three men seeking donations outside a Target store. The men carried a binder containing photos of a boy they claimed had been a victim of gun violence and asked for financial contributions.
One of the men offered to hold Kostecka’s phone while she reviewed the materials. Although she did not make a donation, a $5,000 charge for carpentry services later appeared on her account, according to reports from NBC 5 Chicago cited by Yahoo Finance.
Funds Ultimately Recovered
Kostecka ultimately recovered the funds after filing a police report and pursuing a fraud claim with her bank, but only after reopening the case when her initial dispute was denied, the report said.
According to the Better Business Bureau, ghost tapping schemes take advantage of Near Field Communication, or NFC, technology used in contactless payment systems. Fraudsters may pose as vendors, charity solicitors or other legitimate merchants and rush consumers through payment transactions before they can verify the amount being charged or the identity of the business.
In some cases, criminals may use point-of-sale applications installed on smartphones to trigger unauthorized transactions by bringing payment devices close to wallets, purses or mobile phones in crowded locations, according to cybersecurity firm McAfee, which compared the tactic to a modern-day form of pickpocketing.
Advice for Consumers
Fraud experts cited in the report emphasized that consumers should not view caller ID information, badge numbers or the involvement of multiple callers as proof of legitimacy.
Instead, consumers are advised to terminate suspicious calls and contact their financial institution using a trusted phone number, such as the number printed on the back of a debit or credit card, listed within the institution’s official mobile app or published on its official website.
The FDIC has also warned that criminals frequently impersonate financial institutions to obtain sensitive information, passwords or account credentials from consumers.
Clearview said Jenna’s decision to independently verify the call before taking any action likely prevented the loss of thousands of dollars and serves as a reminder that skepticism remains one of the strongest defenses against financial fraud.
