Sometimes a simple story can portray an entire philosophy, strategy or organization’s culture. No corporate manuals, strategic plans, or even special training sessions are needed.
For example in the Bible when Jesus says his second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. His critics ask, Who is my neighbor? Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan. It is about a traveler attacked and robbed by thieves, and left injured lying alone on the road. His fellow countrymen pass by. He is helped by a stranger, who is not from his country, religious tradition or ethnic background.
The following story is the lead in a CEO’s monthly staff update. It is long because the event was extended. If you knew nothing more about this credit union other than this episode, you would surmise that it is probably very successful in traditional performance measures. It is, but that is not the primary purpose. It succeeds because of a culture that tries to fulfill the special purpose of a cooperative charter for its members and communities.
My only edits are to protect the individuals named and the credit union’s identity. I would call it the story of A Credit Union Good Samaritan, because as in the original, the person assisted was not even a member of the credit union.
From a Cooperative CEO
This month’s story highlights Mary, a long-time shared-branching customer supported by Rose at our Central Avenue Member Center.
Mary is associated with an out-of-state shared-branching credit union and visits our location about once a month to withdraw a small amount of money. As an older individual, she prefers managing her banking in-person and occasionally stops in for general assistance. Over time, Rose developed a strong, trusting relationship with Mary.
One afternoon, Mary arrived visibly distressed. When Rose asked how she was doing, Mary shared that she was feeling overwhelmed. She requested her account balance and withdrawal limit, and upon hearing the details, her anxiety seemed to increase. Mary mentioned needing to make a phone call to confirm something and stepped into the lobby.
While on the phone, Rose could overhear parts of the conversation. Mary sounded frustrated and repeatedly referenced taking cash to Walmart, which immediately raised concerns. After ending the call, she returned and requested to withdraw the maximum amount allowed.
Recognizing several red flags, Rose began asking thoughtful follow-up questions. Initially, Mary was hesitant to share details, explaining that she was sending money to her granddaughter. With patience and care, Rose continued the conversation, and Mary disclosed that she had been on the phone since early that morning with someone claiming to be from “FCC Loss Prevention.” This individual told her there were suspicious charges on her account and instructed her to withdraw funds to resolve the issue.
At this point, Rose explained the warning signs of a scam and expressed concern that the situation did not seem legitimate. Although Rose could not directly access Maary’s account because she is not a our member, she encouraged Mary to contact her home credit union using an official phone number to verify the claim. Rose explained that if there were legitimate concerns, her credit union would be able to confirm and secure the account.
Mary agreed and returned to the lobby to make the call. As the situation progressed, Rose realized Mary had never fully disconnected from the original caller. The scammer quickly adapted their story, now claiming to be from Mary’s credit union after overhearing the conversation. Rose could hear Mary beginning to question the caller, asking how to confirm their legitimacy, while the scammer continued to pressure her to withdraw funds and go to Walmart.
Seeing Mary becoming increasingly overwhelmed, Rose stepped in. She located the official contact information for Mary’s credit union, asked a colleague to cover her station, and invited Mary into a private office so they could call together. First, Rose ensured that Mary had fully disconnected from the scammer, despite being told not to hang up.
Together, they contacted Jean’s credit union directly and confirmed there were no unauthorized transactions or issues with her account. The credit union also shared that they had seen an increase in similar fraud attempts. Fortunately, because Mary had not shared sensitive information, no further action was necessary beyond documenting the incident.
Afterward, Rose helped Mary save her credit union’s official phone number in her contacts and block the scammer’s number. Mary expressed deep gratitude, sharing that the scammer had attempted to convince her to withdraw and send nearly $11,000. She acknowledged that without Roses intervention, she likely would have followed through.
This experience reinforces the importance of vigilance, empathy, and proactive service. Protecting individuals—whether they are members or not—requires awareness, patience, and a commitment to going above and beyond.
This is a powerful example of how our credit union lives out its mission and purpose every day. Through care and compassion, you transformed a moment of fear and confusion into one of hope, stability, dignity, and safety for someone who needed it most.