Episode 14: Holiday Hustles - Outsmarting Scammers This Season

Featured Guest

Stephanie Curtis

Chief Member Experience Officer

Stephanie has over 13 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on member engagement, service excellence, and operational leadership. She has led transformative initiatives across retail banking, contact centers, digital experience, and organizational development, consistently enhancing the member journey through innovation and strategic insight. Stephanie graduated from Western Credit Union Management School where she received a Credit Union Executive certification. She also graduated from the Florida School of Banking program at UF. Stephanie is passionate about empowering teams, fostering inclusive cultures, and advancing financial well-being in the communities she serves.

Highlights

• The holiday season sees an increase in fraud schemes targeting consumers, such as phishing, vishing, smishing and bank jugging.

• Phishing refers to scammers impersonating trusted organizations via phone or email in order to steal personal information.

• Vishing is a voice-based scam where fraudsters call pretending to be entities like law enforcement or financial institutions, often using urgent or fearful tactics.

• Smishing uses SMS text messages to trick recipients into clicking malicious links and providing sensitive banking details.

• Bank jugging involves criminals watching for people who withdraw large amounts of cash from branches or ATMs, then following them to steal the money.

• Fraudsters often rely on fear, urgency and secrecy to pressure victims into quick action, especially during busy and stressful times like the holidays.

• Bank representatives may ask detailed questions when you withdraw large sums to help protect you from scams, not to be nosy or intrusive.

• VyStar Credit Union has implemented safeguards such as identity theft protection and transaction alerts with VyStar+ Checking to help members monitor and protect their accounts.

• Cell phone protection and credit monitoring are additional features of VyStar+ Checking that provide added security and value for members.

• If you receive a suspicious call, text or email, don’t panic. Independently verify by contacting your financial institution or relevant authority using trusted channels.

• Immediate action — such as locking your account and filing a dispute — is crucial if you realize you’ve shared sensitive information with a scammer.

• Protecting accounts is a partnership between financial institutions and their members; staying educated and vigilant is key to enjoying a safe holiday season.

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