The Nevada Credit Union League has announced a partnership with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and Nevada Bankers Association to combat and prevent imposter banking scams by raising consumer awareness on how Nevadans can protect themselves.

Attorney General Aaron Ford and Nevada Credit Union League President and CEO Diana Dykstra agreed that the best way to combat banking scams and the criminals perpetrating them is through consumer awareness. These predators will prey on people from all walks of life to scam their deposit accounts, credit cards, debit cards, and other accounts, which is why it is imperative the citizens of the Silver State stay diligent.

“Silver State residents are Nevada’s frontline defense against cyber thieves, hackers and fraudsters,” Dykstra said. “It is imperative that everyone remain vigilant and keep a diligent eye open for fraud attempts. If you think you see something that is fraud, please report it to the authorities and to your credit union or other financial institution.”

Dykstra and Ford said cyber criminals are becoming increasingly creative with how they try to hack into consumer accounts and steal money. Recently, criminals have turned to “smishing” tactics, which is a phishing attempt through a text message (SMS). These criminals will fraudulently represent themselves as a credit union or bank while texting a consumer, asking for important and personal information.

However, a “smishing” text-message is something a credit union or another reputable financial institution would not do. This is just one type of fraud attempt that is becoming more prevalent.

“These scams all have one thing in common: an attempt to create a sense of urgency. They are very sophisticated and are designed to trick even the savviest of consumers,” Ford said. “These scammers know what they are doing. Please protect all of your accounts with multi-factor authentication. And do not provide multi-factor authentication codes or passwords to anyone over the phone. This will help protect your account in the event your information is compromised.”

If Nevadans even remotely think a website link is a fraudulent attempt to pry into their personal information or financial lives, they should not click on it or use it in any other communication, email, or any fashion. They should contact their credit union or other financial institution immediately. Consumers can use these tips and tricks posted by the Federal Trade Commission to help identify fraud and prevent the hacking of anyone’s account.

“I’m proud to partner with the Nevada Credit Union League and the Nevada Bankers Association to bring an end to these types of scams,” Ford said. “Together, we will work with consumers to cut these scammers off at the pass.”

As not-for-profit member-owned cooperatives, credit unions thrive when their members achieve financial success, which is why preventing fraud is so important, Dykstra said. “The League and local credit unions would like to thank the Nevada Attorney General for leading the effort on this crucial awareness campaign,” she added. “Once again, we implore the people of Nevada to keep a watchful eye out for these cyber criminals.”

You can view Attorney General Aaron Ford’s press conference here.

Governor Sisolak Announces End Date to 'State of Emergency'
Last Friday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the COVID-19 state of emergency will be rescinded on May 20. It has been in place since March 12, 2020.

Upon termination of this state of emergency, all emergency directives issued by the governor under the declaration of emergency will be terminated. 

The state of emergency declaration allowed Nevada to respond to challenges brought forward by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years. Between now and May 20, the state will continue to work with partners who are using the flexibility allowed by the declaration of emergency to ensure there is no gap in services when the emergency ends," a news release states.

At the time, emergency orders gave flexibility for the state to respond to challenges as they arose. A number of measures (including portions of Emergency Directive 11) are still in place, and the state is working with the appropriate partners as the emergency order ends. Emergency Directive 11 waived certain licensing requirements to allow the state to bring additional health care workers into hospitals, and allow certain doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and medical students to work under proper supervision to care for COVID-19 patients.

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