New Twist on “how” the Phishers Continue to Phish Credit Union Members!

Phishers seek every opportunity to find individuals who are willing to provide information for the criminals to tap into a financial gain from credit union members. Once a member provides the personal and /or financial information, the fraudsters are off and running to create financial losses to the credit union and its members.

The phishers continue to change their phony e-mails by including false fraud protection techniques as a new twist to convince members the e-mail is from the credit union with the added educational information. Because of everyone’s fraud awareness, the phishers lure members to “take action” and provide the information by using an “online banking” log-in which will re-direct this site to the fraudster.

The “take-action” the phishers are asking members to perform is:

  • Deactivate their card(s) temporarily to guard against fraud
  • Activate their card(s) by having them log on to an “online banking system” where the phishers are able to obtain member’s card information.

The phishers convince members there is no need to contact the credit union to validate the email or telephone request involving the deactivation and activation process.

Loss Control Recomendations

  • Never click on any links provided in an e-mail you believe is fraudulent.
  • Do not open an attachment to an unsolicited e-mail unless you have verified the source.
  • Do not be intimidated by an e-mail or caller who suggest dire consequences if you do not immediately provide or verify information.
  • If you believe the contact is legitimate, go to the company’s website by typing in the site address directly or using a page you have previously book marked, instead of a link provided in the e-mail.
  • Use the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) website, www.onguardonline.gov. Consumers can take interactive quizzes designed to enlighten them about identity theft, phishing, span and online-shopping scams. Elsewhere on the site, consumers can find detailed guidance on how to monitor their credit histories, use effective passwords and recover from identity theft.