Phishing Attacks Underway for CU Members Recently, members have reported receiving e-mails requesting specific account information from the NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) and CUNA (Credit Union National Association). While the NCUA and CUNA are valid entities, these e-mails are examples of "phishing".
DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION.If you responded to such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please notify us or any 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.
Visit
www.cuna.org or
www.ncua.gov to learn more.
Please read the following for more details about "phishing":
If you have internet access, you may be under attack-a phishing attack, that is. You may receive an e-mail or pop-up from what appears to be a familiar source – a company you already do business with – and they ask for very personal information to verify your account or payment status. This high-tech scam involves three components:
1) Spoofing: creating a replica of an existing web site.
2) Spamming: sending unsolicited or “junk” e-mail.
3) Phishing: the act of using spoofing and spamming to lure you, hoping to deceive you into disclosing your Social Security number, credit card and checking account numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following tips to help you avoid getting hooked:
1) If you get a pop-up or e-mail message requesting personal or financial information, don’t reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies won’t ask you to verify information they already have.
2) Be cautious about opening attachments or downloading files from e-mail messages.
3) Never send personal information via e-mail. Look for a closed padlock image at the bottom of your browser window, or a URL that begins with “https” (the “s” stands for secure). However, some phishers forge these security icons.
4) Review statements for accuracy as you receive them. If they’re late, call the company to confirm your billing address and balance.
5) Use your antivirus software and keep it up-to-date. Run a firewall, particularly if you have a broadband connection. Take advantage of free software “patches”.
6) Report suspicious activity to:
uce@ftc.gov or
reportphishing@antiphishing.org.
Here's how: Drag and drop the phishing email from your inbox onto this new email message. (In Netscape drop it on the "attachment" area.) Do not use "forward" if you can help it, as this approach loses information and requires more manual processing. The exception is when you use the Web interface to outlook: in that case forward is the only solution.
