Columbus, OH (March 17, 2026) |
In case you missed it, Ohio credit unions across the state hosted roundtable discussions with federal and local law enforcement and community stakeholders to discuss an increase in fraud and efforts to prevent residents from falling victim to financial scams.
“Area credit unions, community stakeholders, and federal officials met on Friday morning at Superior Credit Union for a roundtable discussion on the increase in fraud and efforts to prevent residents from falling victim to financial scams. The topic of fraud is an important discussion, as according to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost more than $12 billion to fraud in 2024, and Americans have lost a combined $8.5 billion to investment and imposter scams alone,” writes Scott Giebel for the Lima News.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers lost more than $12 billion to fraud in 2024, an increase of 25 percent from 2023. Americans lost a combined total of more than $8.5 billion to investment and imposter scams alone.
Credit unions are not-for-profit, member-owned, community-based, and democratically controlled financial institutions. Helping local communities protect themselves from fraud is part of the credit union's mission to secure financial well-being for all.
Read more below:
Youngstown Business Journal: Local Credit Unions, Law Enforcement Address Rising Fraud
Deanne Johnson
Jan. 24, 2026
· Americans lost more than $12 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023.
· Donna Luzier, fraud manager, Bank Secrecy Act officer for 717 Credit Union, cited those statistics from the Federal Trade Commission to start a roundtable discussion that included leadership from local credit unions and law enforcement.
· Participants shared some of the things they personally have seen and talked about ways to help credit union members avoid and recognize fraudulent activity.
· “Fraud is just really knocking on almost every door, and we’re seeing new stuff all the time,” said Mike Kurish, CEO of the ASECU. “And I think one of the things we have realized is that the actors that we are trying to defend ourselves from are well educated, trained individuals who approach scamming individuals as a full-time job.”
· Kelly Reddy, business development manager from the Unity Catholic Federal Credit Union, said they see people who feel an urgent pressure to follow the scammer’s directions. Reddy said staff members are trained to provide a UCFCU member safety brochure whenever a request seems suspicious, making conversations about fraud easier.
· Mario Duvnjak, chief operation officer at Cardinal Credit Union, said they see a lot of ATM fraud and people attempting to get passcodes from their members. A major upgrade to the online banking platform requires multifactor authentication and warnings against giving out a personal code.
· Brittany Socie, assistant fraud manager at 717 Credit Union, said it is difficult when members are taking money out to purchase gift cards or to put into bitcoin machines, or when they are sending money by Venmo or Cash App, because the financial institution cannot get that money back for them.
· The roundtable participants also talked about how important education is and how reluctant people who have been scammed are to share their story.
· She also recommends that if something feels uncomfortable or suspicious, hang up and call the business, including a financial institution, to verify it’s legitimate.
· “If we are legitimately calling you, we are not going to be upset if you hang up and call us back again,” Socie said.
WKBN-TV Youngstown: Local roundtable tackles spike in financial scams
Nadine Grimley
Jan. 23, 2026
· Financial fraud is on the rise. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there was a 25% increase in fraud from 2023 to 2024, with consumers losing more than $12 billion.
· A roundtable was held Friday in Howland where financial institutions and law enforcement focused their talks on how to help prevent fraud.
· From romance to imposter scams, there are many ways money can be swindled from people.
· Area credit unions were joined by both federal and local law enforcement to talk about ways to help prevent people from falling victim.
Lima News: Superior Credit Union hosts fraud roundtable
Scott Giebel
Feb. 20, 2026
· Area credit unions, community stakeholders, and federal officials met on Friday morning at Superior Credit Union for a roundtable discussion on the increase in fraud and efforts to prevent residents from falling victim to financial scams.
· The topic of fraud is an important discussion, as according to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost more than $12 billion to fraud in 2024, and Americans have lost a combined $8.5 billion to investment and imposter scams alone.
· During the roundtable, members of Superior Credit Union, Millstream Area Credit Union, and Hancock Federal Credit Union spoke about the fraud they encountered, as well as members of law enforcement and representatives from Job and Family Services.
· “We are seeing a lot of tax fraud, where the individuals are receiving phone calls or emails regarding them owing tax money, and they are being told they are going to federal prison, that someone within their institution is involved in the scam, and that their money is not safe,” said Superior Credit Union employee Jessica Holliday. “They are also being told that they are being followed and watched, so if they do anything, they will be arrested.”
· IRS Special Agent Brad Nickerson also touched on the issues with fraud that they have been seeing, and he made a reminder that the IRS is never going to call people asking for money, as it is going to be a letter before anything else.
· Alexis Brown, who works for Job and Family Services in Lima, shared that the elderly are the primary victims of these scams, as some of them are lonely, so they meet someone online, which leads to them giving away money. She said that they are also buying electronic devices and trying to send them to the scammers.
· Everyone at the table spoke about the different steps that can be taken to avoid getting scammed, like ignoring phone calls, changing your passwords often, not opening links, and not responding to random texts.
WLIO-TV Lima: Officials Warn of Urgency Tactics as Scams Cost Consumers $12 Billion
Stacey Myers Cook
Feb. 20, 2026
· “Stop and think about it before you act.” That was the key message shared during a fraud prevention roundtable hosted by Superior Credit Union, where regional financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, federal officials and community stakeholders gathered to address the growing threat of scams.
· Participants discussed the types of fraud impacting residents and strategies to prevent further losses. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers were scammed out of $12 billion in 2024.
· Among the most common schemes discussed were tax fraud, romance scams and identity theft. Officials said a common red flag in many scam attempts is a sense of urgency.
· Jessica Holliday, fraud director at Superior Credit Union, said scammers often pressure victims into acting quickly.
· “Anything that is a state of urgency. These fraudsters are calling, sending out fake emails, texts, phone calls, telling you that your money is not secure, that you need to withdraw funds, you need to send it out via crypto wires, gift cards, even unmarked vehicles that we've been told.”
· Several panelists said some victims have reported individuals coming directly to their homes to retrieve money. Law enforcement officials noted an increase in so-called “in-person scams,” where a stranger befriends someone, gains their trust and eventually asks for money.
WKEF-TV Dayton: Miami Valley credit unions and police step up scam warnings as fraud increases
Kaylee Maneen
March 16, 2026
· Several Miami Valley credit unions are working with law enforcement to warn residents about the growing number of financial scams.
· Representatives from Wright-Patt Credit Union, Day Air Credit Union, Firefighters & Company Federal Credit Union, River Valley Credit Union, and Universal 1 Credit Union hosted a roundtable today in Beavercreek with local law enforcement and community leaders to discuss how to better protect people from fraud.
· These officials warn that new technology, including artificial intelligence, is helping to make scam messages and phone calls more convincing.
· Law enforcement at the discussion said they are seeing a rise in scams where criminals pretend to be family members in trouble or impersonate police or credit union staff. In many cases, victims are asked to send money through gift cards, bitcoin, or other electronic payments.
· Leaders say they recommend verifying suspicious messages directly with a trusted source, using unique passwords, and contacting your bank or credit union if something seems like a scam.
WHIO-TV Dayton: Local credit unions, law enforcement hold round table amid rise in fraud
March 16, 2026
· With scams on the rise, credit unions in the Miami Valley hosted a roundtable with law enforcement to help
(Video embedded in link)
March 16, 2026
· Today, area credit unions, including Wright-Patt Credit Union, Day Air Credit Union, Firefighters & Company Federal Credit Union, River Valley Credit Union, and Universal 1 Credit Union, hosted a roundtable discussion with local law enforcement and community stakeholders to discuss the increase in fraud and efforts to prevent residents from falling victim to financial scams.
· “Our main goal is to protect our members and keep our communities as safe as we can,” said Jason Frantz, Wright-Patt Credit Union.
· “It’s that trust piece with members, making sure they know they can trust us if they find themselves to be a victim of fraud,” said Lisa Schaefer, Universal 1 Credit Union.
· “Educating our members is hugely important. If someone is calling you from our credit union saying it’s extremely urgent, then you need to call a trusted source and make sure the information is legitimate. Anytime someone is trying to force urgency on a situation, it’s most likely fraud,” said Lori Tieman, Firefighters and Company Federal Credit Union.
· “Artificial intelligence is starting to look much more legitimate, so these scammers are getting harder to catch. We encourage members to slow down and bring it to their credit union if they have questions and seek an additional set of eyes,” said Daniel Koons, Day Air Credit Union.
· “We urge members to keep their passwords up-to-date and to keep their passwords varied and safe,” said Lydia Crandon, River Valley Credit Union.
· “Law enforcement agencies, government organizations will never ask for payment by gift card. We encourage people to call and verify that an email or a communication is legitimate before handing over a gift card or any money,” said Captain Isaiah Kellar, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
· Credit unions are not-for-profit, member-owned, community-based, and democratically controlled financial institutions. Helping local communities protect themselves from fraud is part of the credit union’s mission to secure financial well-being for all.