Financial fraud continues to be a growing concern in the Tennessee Valley, but education may be the best defense against potential scammers.

In an effort to warn the public about dangers and pitfalls in a high-tech world, Redstone Federal Credit Union will host a fraud summit Monday at its campus at 220 Wynn Drive NW in Huntsville. The event begins at 3 p.m. and will also feature officials from the FBI, Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Better Business Bureau, U.S. Postal Inspection Services and other area credit unions. Attendees will have a chance to win door prizes.

“Fraud-related issues affecting people in our area seem to be on the rise,” said Patricia Lloyd, public relations coordinator for RFCU. “If our members are concerned, we’re concerned.”

Several North Alabama credit unions recently joined forces to warn customers about scammers’ attempts to gain their trust and wipe our their accounts. Scammers have identified themselves as credit union employees in an attempt to gain personal information, including the three-digit security number on the back of a debit card.

Lloyd said the partnership paid off for RFCU, at least, because the credit union’s members are reporting fewer scam calls. There are plenty of other scams members should be aware of, however, including the jury duty and grandparent scams.

A number of Alabamians have been duped by grand jury scams. Simply put, a scammer tells the victim he or she has missed a jury summons and will have to pay or go to jail.

In the grandparent scam, the scammer calls an elderly person and claims to be a grandchild or friend of the victim’s grandchild who has had an emergency and is in need of money. In both instances, the scammers ask the victim to transfer money to gift cards or buy retail gift cards at a store.

A scam on the rise in North Alabama is the use of credit and debit card skimmers at ATMs and gas stations. The electronic devices fit inside credit card slots and can capture information from the card.

Tricia Pruitt, regional vice president for the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama, said even she had recently received a scam call regarding a problem with her credit union account. She said card skimmers have also been found at locations across the area, and she warned of another threat — card scanners.

“There are scanners that can copy account info through your wallet or purse,” she said. “Now many purses, wallets, etc., have protection against this and you can get sleeves to put your credit cards in.”

Lloyd said the officials scheduled to attend Monday’s event should have a wealth of information to offer the public. She said attendees may ask the experts one-on-one questions after the summit if they don’t want to ask their questions in public.