Text Scam Alert: Missoula Residents Targeted by Fake Credit Union Messages

First came the text, then came the warning email. That's usually how it goes. About once a week I get a random text from an unknown number informing me about something I have won, something that is stuck in customs or a false charge on one of my accounts.

Most of the time I am able to just ignore them. I know I didn't order anything from overseas and I don't use that bank. Recently I got a fraud alert text claiming to be from Missoula's Clearwater Credit Union, stating that there was a suspicious charge of over $600 at Target.

After learning about these types of scams over the years, this one was pretty easy to identify as a scam. The text didn't come from a 406 area code. It included a link to access an account and the link wasn't from the Clearwater Credit Union. At first glance it looked like it could be from them, but when you really looked at the address it was clear it wasn't from them. The text did look similar to their fraud alert texts, but it wasn't.

Clearwater Credit Union's website featured a warning on it about the local text scam circulating. They have also sent out an email to members reminding them that they will never send a link via text message to their members.

We are just a little over a full week into 2025, and we are already getting reports of a new scam making the rounds. If this is happening at the beginning of the year, I have a feeling it is going to be a long 2025. Be vigilant and safe out there.