Protecting your personal information is of the utmost importance to Orion.
We believe that an important part of this effort is to ensure that our membership is informed and alerted to scams in the marketplace. This page includes some of the most common scams currently circulating.
While there will always be new ways for criminals to try to access your personal information, Orion is always working to keep your information secure.
PHONE SCAM: Please be aware of a recent scam where criminals make calls that mimic the Orion phone number, pose as Orion employees, and ask for personal information. NEVER provide your account number or debit card number by phone, even if the caller states a purchase was made using your debit card or that your account was compromised.
Orion will NEVER call, email, or send texts asking you for your personal online banking log-in information or request monetary transfers of any kind. Also, please note that text messages and calls from 901-385-5200 are NOT always official communications from Orion. Cyber criminals can spoof this number or any number.
If you are a victim and gave information about your account, please contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or on your Orion mobile app.
KROGER TRANSACTION SCAM: Please be aware of a recent scam involving transactions at Kroger and other retailers. Criminals make calls or text from the Orion phone number, claim to be Orion employees, and ask for personal information. Never give your pin to anyone. If you share your debit card pin number and your account incurs fraud or you authorize a fraudulent transaction, you will be liable for the loss. Never provide your account details or card number over phone or text.
In response to this fraud, Orion has set a reasonable daily limit for Kroger transactions. If you have any issues using your debit card at Kroger, please contact Orion at (901) 385-5200.
PHISHING SCAM: Please be aware of a phishing and credential harvesting campaign that is being sent to some members. It impersonates Orion and may direct members to log into their account via a fraudulent site. It leverages a site mimicking the online banking login page to capture credentials. These emails or text messages are not legitimate and should be deleted if received. Please always be sure you are accessing online banking via OrionFCU.com or the Orion FCU Mobile App and review URLs for authenticity. The URL listed below is NOT an Orion FCU owned page and is fraudulent.
If you receive an email or text message of this nature, please do not click any links in the message and immediately block the sender. Please contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.
PHISHING SCAM: Please be aware of a phishing and credential harvesting campaign that is being sent to some members. It impersonates an email from FIS using Zix™ Secure Messaging and may use the email address fis.notification@zixmessagecenter.com. It then leverages other free sites to mimic an FIS client login page to capture credentials. These emails are not legitimate and should be deleted if received.
If you receive an email of this nature, please do not click any links in the message and immediately block the sender. Please contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.
TEXT MESSAGE SCAM: Please be aware of an SMS text message scam circulating where perpetrators, posing as "Orion Bank" or "ORNLFCU," are fraudulently contacting some Orion members to authorize pending charges. Members should not click suspicious links sent to them by text.
If you receive a text of this nature, please do not click any links in the message and contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA SCAM: Please be aware of a social media (including Facebook and Instagram) message scam circulating where perpetrators, posing as staff at Orion Federal Credit Union, are fraudulently contacting some Orion members claiming to send money to members to celebrate Orion's 65th anniversary. Members should not click suspicious links or contact phone numbers shared in these messages.
If you receive a message on social media of this nature, please do not click any links or contact any of the phone numbers shared in the message. Please contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.
RECENT PHONE SCAM: Please be aware of a phone scam circulating where perpetrators, posing as Amazon and the Orion Fraud Prevention Team, are fraudulently contacting some Orion members to request withdrawal of funds and purchases of gift cards.
Orion will NEVER ask you to purchase gift cards. If you receive a call of this nature, please hang up and contact Orion at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.
RECENT WEBSITE SCAM: A scam has been identified that attempts to impersonate the Federal Trade Commission’s website. The fake website that was created looks strikingly similar to the real FTC website. The scammers claim to provide instant cash payments to trick consumers into disclosing their financial information. The site pops up as a YouTube link and has used several different URLs.
The real FTC does not require such information and scammers can use this information to steal consumers’ money and identities. Please be vigilant and make sure to carefully inspect that you are using the real FTC website.
At Orion, we have tested and proven security measures in place to protect your financial information, but we also encourage you to take action to protect your personal details. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our lives, Orion wants to remind our members to be vigilant against digital scammers who are taking advantage of heightened fears and anxiety.
Please be aware of the elevated risk of scammers attempting to steal money and obtain personal information. This danger may come in the form of websites selling bogus products, fake emails with malicious attachments, misleading phone calls or text messages, and social media posts promoting awareness and information, asking you to donate to COVID-19 victims, or offering advice about unproven treatments.
Click below for some tips to help you be more aware than ever about the spread of misinformation and protect yourself during this difficult time.
One common scam in the U.S. occurs as criminals reach out by phone or email pretending to be from the IRS or Department of the Treasury demanding immediate payment of overdue taxes and threatening lawsuits or jail. These calls can look and sound convincing, but their goal is to steal your money and identity.
The IRS does NOT make initial contact with taxpayers by phone or email.
Click the link below for tips from the IRS to help you avoid being a victim of a tax scam.
Another common scam includes fraudulent emails and texts that impersonate your financial institution to lure you into giving out personal or account-related information.
Through these scams, a potential victim may receive an email or text claiming to be from your financial institution. These messages often tell you that your account has been restricted, and/or request verification of personal details.
Orion will never solicit confidential information via an email, text, social media messaging, or voicemail, and we will never ask that this information be entered through a generic web link.
If you receive an unsolicited communication from Orion that you have not requested and/or applied for (i.e. your Bill Payment has been sent or you've been approved for a loan), DO NOT click on anything in the message, and NEVER enter anything via a link or field in the message.
Above all else, you should never share your Online Banking username or password through one of these methods.
If you are ever in doubt about an email or text you receive or find a website that claims to be affiliated with Orion with a URL other than orionfcu.com, we strongly encourage you not to reveal any personal, financial, and/or account related information and not to click on any of the links or download attachments. If this happens, we encourage you to reach out to us at 901-385-5200.
When it comes to identifying email scams or fraudulent websites, here are a few things to look for...
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- Generic greetings: To Whom It May Concern, Dear Sir/Madam.
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- Typos: Incorrect grammar, misspelled words.
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- How to spot a fake email: Some indicators of a fake email include email addresses not matching the sender's website (i.e. email should come from a @orionfcu.com email address, not another address), requests to click a link to update information or take action on a negative account status (i.e. your account has been suspended/restricted). Keep in mind that particularly clever criminals can make some, if not all of these indicators look legitimate including making it look like a legitimate Orion email address sent the email.
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- How to spot a fake text: Some indicators of a fake text include those sent with a sense of urgency - often asking you to respond with certain personal information, call a specific number, or click on a link provided in the text.
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- Website links: The safest approach for dealing with email links is to not click the link at all. Logging directly into Online Banking at orionfcu.com is the best way to access your account and any messages pertaining to your account.
If you have any questions about your financial security or are unsure if a communication you've received from Orion is authentic, please reach out right away. Contact our Member Connect Call Center at 901-385-5200, or send a secure message through online banking or your Orion mobile app.