March 2023: A letter from the President

Dear Members,

As we continue to use technology as part of our day to day lives, bad actors continuously seek ways to take advantage. Centra is committed to doing our part to protect your personal information, including updating you about cyber-crime trends. Recently, scammers have turned to smishing more frequently, which is phishing through text messages. These texts might claim to be your financial institution or a well-known company. For example, a scammer might text you claiming to be a Centra representative and direct you to click a link or call a number. It’s important to never click these links.

However, there are times when Centra may text you, such as when you need to verify an action in digital banking or a suspicious transaction. You can learn more about our debit card fraud alerts on our website. You can always call us directly at 800-232-3642 to check if a text from Centra is legitimate or to report a suspicious text, call, or email. We are here to help.

Fraudsters are always trying new ways to get personal information, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on best practices for protecting yourself from scams. Here are a few tips to follow:

• Check for misspelled words, unusual grammar or formatting, and distorted logos in emails or texts. These can be signs of a fraudulent message.
• Always check the sender of a text or email. If you’ve received an email, you can click on the sender name to see their full email address.
• Avoid clicking links. You can also preview the destination of any links without clicking the link. If you’re on a desktop, hover over the link. On a mobile device, you can press and hold the link to preview it.

Remember that bad actors are relying on the fact that people using their mobile devices may be in a hurry or on the go, increasing the chance that you will click through a text without thinking too much about it. Stop and think before you click. You can also find more information about protecting your information on our Fraud Protection webpage and on our blog in the ‘Protect’ category.

Sincerely,
Rick A. Silvers
President and CEO