Credit Union "New Payee" Text Scam

High Risk

Got a message, call or offer like this?

Take your time. Treat it as a scam until you have checked it yourself.

Don't tap links, reply, or ring numbers it gives you. On a call, hang up.
Don't pay, and don't share card details, PINs, passwords or codes.
Check with whoever it claims to be, using contact details you find yourself.

Already paid or shared details? What to do now Full step-by-step guide Report it

Overview

A text arrives from a sender called "Credit union". It says a new payee has been added to your account, gives the payee's name and part of an account number, and asks you to ring a number if you did not set it up. You did not, so you ring. The Irish League of Credit Unions warned about this text on 29 October 2025: a message "purporting to be from 'Credit Union'", claiming that a new payee had been added to your account, "and to phone a number immediately if this wasn't you." Its advice: "Please note, this is a scam. If you are in receipt of this message, please do not call the number or reply." The text came round again in February 2026. Member First Credit Union said on 12 February 2026 that several credit unions across Ireland had reported it to the Credit Union Managers' Association, and that some of its own members had flagged it. It describes what happens on the call: "If you call the number in the message, you will not be speaking to your credit union. You will be speaking to a fraudster." The fraudster may then "try to get your online banking login details, ask for part or all of your PIN, request One-Time Passcodes (OTPs), or walk you through fake 'security steps' designed to give them full access to your account." Two details give it away. The sender is "Credit union", not the name of your own credit union. And the number is not your credit union's. This is the credit union form of a pattern the banks are fighting too: a text about a change to your account that you did not make, and a number to ring. For the bank form, where the call ends with your money moved to a "safe account", see the Safe Account Scam under this same heading.

What This Scam Looks Like

Tap a highlighted part to see why it's suspicious. Every red flag is also listed under the message.

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Credit union1

Illustrative example – based on the wording Member First Credit Union published

Credit union: A new payee2: red flag 2, show why M. Byrne IE********4417 was created online. Please contact us on (01) XXX 22903: red flag 3, show why if you did not create this payee.

Text Message

Red flags in this message

1
Sender: Credit union
A generic name. Member First Credit Union points out the scam comes from "Credit union", not from the name of your own credit union
2
“A new payee”
A change you did not make is the hook. The text wants you worried enough to ring before you check
3
“(01) XXX 2290”
The number is the scam. The Irish League of Credit Unions says not to call it or reply. Ring your own credit union on a number you already have

Typical Targets

•Credit union members, especially those who use their credit union's online banking
•Members who are not sure what a genuine text from their own credit union looks like
•Anyone who would act quickly on a payee they did not add, which is nearly everyone
•Members who would rather sort things out by phone than online
•Older members living alone, with nobody nearby to ask whether the text looks right

Why This Scam Works

•It looks specific. Member First Credit Union, describing the text its members received: "It includes a name, a partial IBAN, a BIC code, and a Dublin-based phone number. That is exactly what makes it dangerous."
•It asks you to ring, not click. Member First Credit Union: "Fraudsters know that most people are cautious about clicking links in text messages, so they have shifted tactics. Instead of asking you to click a link, this version of the payee SMS scam asks you to make a phone call."
•You ring to stop a fraud, so you are ready to do what the "fraud team" tells you
•It comes from a vague sender. Member First Credit Union: "The message comes from 'Credit union' rather than specifically mentioning your credit union's name." At a glance, that looks official
•Credit unions are local and trusted, so a message in their name gets a hearing

Example

This page uses the text Member First Credit Union published, not an invented victim. In February 2026 it shared the wording its members had received. It came from a sender called "Credit union", said a new payee had been "created online", gave the payee's name, a partial IBAN and a bank code, and ended by asking the reader to ring a Dublin number "if you did not create this payee." The Irish League of Credit Unions had described the same text in October 2025, with a different payee name. Member First Credit Union sets out the steps that follow. "First, you receive a text message from a generic sender labelled 'Credit union' rather than your actual credit union's name." Ring the number and you reach a fraudster, who may go after your login details, your PIN or the one-time passcodes your credit union sends you. "Once they have those details, they can take over your account and move money out before you even realise what has happened." The mock-up on this page masks the number and changes the payee. No source we hold names a member who lost money, so this page does not either.

* An illustration of how this scam works, not from a victim case we hold.

How to Avoid This Scam

Do not ring the number in the text. The Irish League of Credit Unions: "please do not call the number or reply."
Ring your own credit union on a number you already have, from its website or a statement. The League's advice: "If you are in any doubt about any message you receive in relation to your credit union account, please contact your local credit union directly."
Check the sender. A text from "Credit union", rather than from your own credit union by name, is the first warning sign Member First Credit Union lists
Check the number. Member First Credit Union: "The number is different from your credit union's official contact number."
Know what your credit union will never ask. One credit union, Member First, states that it "will never ask you for your full PIN", will never ask for your online banking password or a one-time passcode by phone or text, and "will never send you a text message asking you to call an unfamiliar number to resolve an account issue". Ask your own credit union what it will never ask
Never give a one-time passcode to anyone on a call, whoever they say they are. The code is a key to your account
If the sender shows as "Likely Scam", follow ComReg's advice for those texts: "Do not call any numbers contained in the SMS text message." A text without that label is not proven genuine

If You've Been Caught Out

Don't panic – take these steps immediately:

1If you rang the number and gave any details, a PIN or a code, contact your credit union straight away on its own number. Member First Credit Union: "If you have already called the number or shared any personal information, get in touch with us straight away so we can secure your account."
2Change your online banking password, on your credit union's own website or app, opened yourself rather than from a link
3Check your account for payees and payments you did not make, and tell your credit union about any you find
4Report it at your local Garda station. An Garda Síochána says incidents of fraud in this jurisdiction "should be reported to your local Garda station"
5If the caller told you to move your money to another account to protect it, ring your credit union at once. That is the safe account scam. What to do about a safe account call
6If you only got the text, delete it. Member First Credit Union: "Do not reply to the message. Delete the text and report to your credit union."
7Keep a note of the number you rang and when. Your credit union and the Gardaí may ask for it

* This information is for guidance only. Always seek professional advice for your specific situation.