A complicated new scam aimed at draining your bank account is being targeted at Hudson Valley residents.

Thieves are reportedly posing as bank employees and utilizing texts and phone calls to fool banking customers into revealing account information. The elaborate ruse was uncovered by the security team at the Hudson Valley Credit Union which warned customers about the scam this week.

The credit union says that customers should be on high alert for calls from people claiming to be from HVCU’s Contact Center or HVCU’s “Fraud Department.” During the call, the scammer will ask to text in order to “confirm” important info such as Internet banking/mobile banking credentials, debit card PIN, or a one time passcode.

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The scam is effective because customers who are afraid to share information with a stranger over the phone are fooled into feeling secure by believing that they texting it directly to the bank or credit union. Scammers are also able to cloak their identity by falsely appearing as a bank or credit union on caller ID, making customers think that they are dealing with a real employee.

According to the Hudson Valley Credit Union, their representatives will never ask for sensitive information like a debit card PIN, Internet or mobile banking credentials or passcodes. The credit union is asking customers not to respond to unsolicited text messages and phone calls from HVCU. Texts that ask customers to reply "yes" or "no" about supposed fraudulent transactions should be ignored. And if anyone asks to supply banking credentials customers should realize that it's a scam and immediately hang up.

The credit union did not say how many customers have fallen victim to the scam, but did email out the warning to all customers and add a pop-up warning on their website.

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