If you have immediate concerns about security, please contact us.

Latest Email Scam Concerning Card Deactivation

From: CUNA [mailto:cuna@cuna.org]
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 5:58 AM
Subject: Your card has been deactivated.
Importance: High

Dear Credit Union Member,

The personal identification number (PIN) was entered incorrectly more than 3 times.
For your protection we have deactivated your card.
To reactivate your card please complete the authentication form or call 425-998-1669.

Thank you for choosing our services.
Kind Regards,

Credit Union Customer Service

Equifax Customer Alert: Phishing Attempts Detected on Equifax Customers

Recently, Equifax has detected email "phishing" (an email threat where fradulent emails appear to be from a well-known company and ask you to provide, update or confirm certain confidential information - such as User ID or password) activity by fraudsters attempting to solicit sensitive personal information from Equifax customers and consumers. For your protection, please know that Equifax never sends out requests for personal information via email or phone. 

If you received an email that appears to be from Equifax and requests personal information, please do not respond and delete the email immediately. If you did respond to an email that appears to have been from Equifax, and you provided personal information, such as User ID and password, please let them know by following the "Contact Us" links from www.equifax.com so they can assist you further.

As a general rule, to help safeguard your identity - never click anywhere within a suspected "phishing" or "spoofing" email, and never hit "reply."

A recent example of fraudster ingenuity is the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones to steal member's financial information. This scam is called "vishing" -- short for "voice phishing." There are at least two "Vishing" methodologies scammers use.

Online version:  The scammer sends a blast e-mail, disguised to appear as though it’s from your credit union, bank, online payment service or other well-known business. The e-mail, which may have  a trusted logo, typically reports a "security" problem with the recipient’s account and urges the member/member  to call a telephone number to "straighten things out."

Although many members know better than to click on hyperlinks in strange e-mails for fear of being "phished," they often feel safe calling a telephone number that appears to be local or toll-free. When the member calls, they reach an automated attendant prompting them to enter their account number, password or other private information for "security verification" purposes. Phishing@ncua.gov
Additionally, you can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at ncua@ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National White Collar Crime Center.

Cold Call:  Some "vishers" use automated dialing programs to "cold call" members. The members caller ID device may list a legitimate-looking local phone number, to inspire trust from the recipient. A prerecorded message (or sometimes a live "employee") claims the member’s account has been compromised or needs updating or verification. The member is asked to enter their account information, which is digitally transcribed onto the hard drive of the scammer’s computer.

Internet and Email Scams

Recently, there have been multiple e-mail fraud attempts, known as "Phishing”, that were initiated via e-mail sent to both the general public and to some credit union members that appeared to be from NCUA. This false e-mail asked for the recipient to click on a link to verify their credit union account registration. If the recipient proceeded to do so, the link directed them to a false website and asked for their credit union account number and PIN, along with other personal information. 

NCUA does not ask credit unions members for such personal information. Anyone who receives an e-mail that purports to be from NCUA and asks for account information should consider it to be a fraudulent attempt to obtain their personal account data for an illegal purpose and should not follow the instructions in the e-mail.

If you responded to such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please notify your credit union immediately of the scheme. You should also change your account’s PIN, and take any additional action recommended by your credit union to protect your account.