Last year over 685,000 cases of identity theft and fraud were reported and over $680 million stolen. Experts agree the theft of personal information for fraudulent use is one of the fastest growing crimes in America.
Powerco Federal Credit Union is committed to member protection. This means that we take extraordinary measures to protect you and your information. Part of that includes providing you with information to protect yourself.
SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT! SCAM ALERT!
Powerco Federal Credit Union members are warned to be to be vigilant in analyzing suspicious emails. Two recent scams, one targeting the FDIC and the other the NCUA, are making their email rounds.
NCUA Issues Email Fraud Alert – “Recently, there have been multiple email fraud attempts, known as "Phishing”, that were initiated via email sent to both the general public and to some credit union members that appeared to be from NCUA. This false email 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 email 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 email.
If you responded to such an email and provided any confidential account information, please notify Powerco Federal 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.
If you feel that you have received fraudulent phishing email purportedly from NCUA please forward the entire email message to admin@powercofcu.org and Phishing@ncua.gov
Additionally, you can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent email with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National White Collar Crime Center.”
FDIC Issues Fraudulent Email Alert –
Emails fraudulently claiming to be from the FDIC are attempting to trick recipients into installing unknown software on personal computers. These emails falsely indicate that recipients should install software that was developed by the FDIC and other agencies. The software may be a form of spyware or malicious code and may collect personal or confidential information.
The subject line of the email includes the phrase, "Urgent Notification - Security Reminder." The email requests that recipients click on a hyperlink that appears to be related to the FDIC, which directs recipients to an unknown executable file to be downloaded. While the FDIC is working with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team to determine the exact effects of the executable file, recipients should consider the intent of the software as a malicious attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft.
Phishing (pronounced "fishing") is the latest trend in fraudulent email activity targeting reputable companies, particularly financial institutions. Phishing is a scam in which thieves send out fraudulent emails that appear to come from reputable institutions. They request that you provide personal security information, such as your account numbers, passwords, Social Security number, etc. Usually, recipients of these email scams are asked to verify the information via a link in the email or by responding to the email with the requested information.
If you click the link, you'll likely be redirected to a phony website that looks almost identical to the company's legitimate website. Sometimes, the company's actual website does appear along with a pop-up that quickly appears for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.
According to the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), in both schemes you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes: your Social Security number, your account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your identity when speaking to a real financial institution, such as your mother's maiden name or your place of birth.
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Phishing attacks are growing quite sophisticated and difficult to detect, even for the most technically savvy people. And many people are getting onto the Internet and using email or Web browsers for the first time. As a result, some people are going to continue to be fooled into giving up their personal financial information in response to a phishing email or on a phishing website. If you have been tricked this way, you should assume that you will become a victim of credit card fraud, financial institution fraud, or identity theft. Below is some advice on what to do if you are in this situation:
Some phishing attacks use viruses and/or Trojans to install programs called "key loggers" on your computer. These programs capture and send out any information that you type to the phisher, including credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, Social Security numbers, etc. In this case, you should:
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information, without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. If you have given out this kind of information to a phisher, you should do the following:
| MAJOR CREDIT BUREAUS | |||
| Equifax | Experian | Trans Union | |
| Website | www.equifax.com | www.experian.com | www.transunion.com |
| To Order Your Credit Report | Call: 800-685-1111 Write: P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 |
Call: 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) Write: P.O. Box 9530 Allen, TX 75013 |
Call: 800-888-4213 Write: P.O. Box 1000 Chester, PA 19022 |
| To Report Fraud | Call: 800-525-6285 Write: P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 |
Call: 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) Write: P.O. Box 9530 Allen, TX 75013 |
Call: 800-680-7289 Write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92634 |
| For the Hearing Impaired | Hearing impaired call 800-255-0056 and ask the operator to call the Auto Disclosure Line at 800-685-1111 to request a copy of your report. | TDD: 800-972-0322 |
TDD: 877-553-7803 |
Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak to regarding the incident. Follow-up your phone calls with letters. Keep copies of all correspondence.Powerco Federal Credit Union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.
Your savings federally insured to at least $100,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.
Equal Housing Lender. We do business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Law and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.