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Fraudulent Text Message Circulating (updated 8/4/09)
 Please be cautious of fraudulent emails claiming one of the following:

·        Your card has been blocked

·        Call to increase your limit

·         Get Cash Back bonus

Attention members, be suspicious of any e-mail, text message or phone call with urgent requests for your personal financial information.  Do not open unsolicited e-mails or text messages. Any e-mail or text message asking for you to call a toll-free number to verify account information should be reported to the FCC.  Never provide your personal information or account information based on an e-mail, phone call or text request.

Calls from someone who claims to be a United Energy Credit Union representative and knows your credit/debit card account number – but who wants the three-digit code on the back of the card for whatever reason - should be treated the same way, hang up and contact the Credit Union as soon as possible.

Please remember that United Energy Credit Union, DOES NOT e-mail, text message or telephone our members asking for personal information such as debit card number, pin number, complete social security numbers, dates of birth, etc. For that matter, no legitimate company that you do business with solicits this information.  If you feel you have been a victim of fraud, please contact us at 281.964.1777 or 800.380.5430.

Please follow this link to report your text message scam to the FCC.

 

http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm




FRAUD ALERT

 If you receive a phone call or text message from 1-877-732-2151, stating they are from cuna.org, please know that this that this is a scam.  Below is the information they request. 

 

·       Welcome to Credit union card services

·       Our records indicate that your account is restricted

·       Please stay on the line to remove the restriction

·       Please enter you account number followed by the # sign

·       Please enter your card expiration date followed by the # sign

·       To protect your security and privacy please enter your pin number associated with your card followed by the # sign.

 

Again….this is NOT a valid company.  It is part of a scam to obtain your personal banking information.

 

 CONSUMERS WARNED
 OF POTENTIAL CHARITY SCAMS

T

FTC WARNS CONSUMERS ABOUT POTENTIAL CHARITY SCAMS

The Federal Trade Commission is urging consumers to be cautious of potential charity scams in connection with the recent floods and tornadoes that have caused damage in the Midwest.  Scam artists may take advantage of this situation by creating bogus fund-raising operations.

The FTC has issued a Consumer Alert, the “FTC Charity Checklist,” which lists precautions consumers should take when donating to charities. The alert, available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt114.shtm, advises consumers to be wary of appeals that tug at your heart strings, especially pleas involving current events.

If you are asked to contribute to a charity, the FTC recommends that you:

  • Ask for the name of the charity if the telemarketer does not provide it promptly;
  • Ask what percentage of your donation will support the cause described in the solicitation;
  • Call the charity to find out if it's aware of the solicitation and has authorized the use of its name;
  • Do not provide any credit card or bank information until you have reviewed all information from the charity and made the decision to donate;
  • Ask for a receipt showing the amount of the contribution and stating that it is tax deductible; and
  • Avoid cash gifts. For security and tax record purposes, it's best to pay by check – made payable to the beneficiary, not the solicitor.

At the same time, credit unions interested in contributing to disaster relief efforts are encouraged to take advantage of cuaid.coop, the first national online giving center for credit unions.  Developed by the National Credit Union Foundation in partnership with state foundations, including the Texas Credit Union Foundation (TCUF),CUAid gives credit unions, as well as credit union employees and members a donation option to help fellow credit union employees and members in the disaster area.  Credit unions can post the CUAid link on their own websites so that members can donate.  The secure site will also track all contributions by state and organization for reporting purposes. 

Texas credit unions can access cuaid.coop from TCUF’s web site, at www.tcuf.coop.   

 

PHISHING ALERT 

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) says it has experienced a dramatic increase in phishing attacks during the last seven days.  E-mails purporting to be from the national trade association are in circulation nationwide.

These e-mails describe "Irregular Account Card Activity" or some version of that statement.  The message in these e-mails include a statement that "CUNA would never solicit personal identification from you in an e-mail or over the web; therefore, we have de-activated your card, for your own safety."  The e-mail then goes on to direct the recipient to a phone number to call for re-activation of the card.

These phone numbers are set up using Voice-Over-IP lines.  In other words, they are Internet based phone numbers, which are more difficult to track down and disable.  The caller is instructed to enter their account number and then their pin (twice) and then enter the CVV number as well.  After a short pause, they are told that their card has been re-activated.

CUNA is especially concerned about these e-mails because they are morphing on a daily basis and they are playing on the "we will not solicit you over the web" message that has been used with previous phishing scams.  To date, 10 versions of these e-mails currently are in circulation.  Of those, CUNA has successfully disabled seven phone numbers.

Education and awareness are critical to combating phishing attacks.  Following are anti-phishing recommendations for your members:

  • Never access an organization’s Web site from a link provided in an e-mail, but only by typing in the actual URL. 
  • If you suspect an email may be phishing, contact the organization’s customer support center immediately. 
  • Be very skeptical of “urgent” messages that require you to enter confidential information. 
  • Keep your Internet browser software up to date and use an anti-virus and anti-spam product.
  • Check your online account balances and transaction regularly for any discrepancies

Steps for credit unions to help deter phishing scams:

  • Educate staff of phishing dangers so they can best respond to your members and quickly take action if an attack occurs. 
  • Ensure that your Web site uses SSL and that all of your certificates are current. 
  • Use SSL to secure any page that requests credentials. 
  • Remove any open URL redirects from your site. 
  • Implement techniques to prevent image hotlinking (e.g. by use of .htaccess file). 
  • Monitor email logs for Non Delivery Reports (NDRs) for phishing mails targeting your organization. 
  • Send e-mails from the same "From" domain as your Web site. 
  • When you confirm a phishing attack, post an alert on your Web site to your members immediately.

For more information, including how to file a complaint, please visit the Internet Crime Complain Center’s (IC3) web site at www.ic3.gov.  You may also visit the Federal Trade Commission’s web site at www.ftc.gov



What is Phishing? 

  Phishing is one of the latest cons used by high-tech criminals to facilitate one of  America’s leading forms of fraud—identity theft. Basically, the scam uses spam (unsolicited e-mail) to bait consumers into disclosing sensitive personal information— such as social security numbers, account and routing numbers, credit card numbers, personal identification numbers, passwords, and other private data. 

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is urging all Texans to be on the lookout for official-looking e-mails purporting to originate from major financial institutions asking for personal account information. "I cannot emphasize this enough - Texans who receive such e-mails should immediately delete them because these tactics are used to trick you into releasing private information to someone who will try to empty your checking account," said Attorney General Abbott.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the unsolicited e-mails give the appearance of being from legitimate businesses. In fact, fraudsters usually pick a business that the potential victim actually does business with, such as a financial institution, credit card company, or insurance company. The fraudsters tell the e-mail recipients they need to “update” or “validate” their billing information to keep their accounts active. 

Consumers who believe they may have received such bogus e-mails may file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office by calling toll-free (800) 252-8011 or accessing the agency's Web site at www.oag.state.tx.us.

Following are anti-phishing recommendations: 

  • Never access an organization’s Web site from a link provided in an e-mail, but only by typing in the actual URL. 
  • If you suspect an email may be phishing, contact the organization’s customer support center immediately. 
  • Be very skeptical of “urgent” messages that require you to enter confidential information. 
  • Keep your Internet browser software up to date and use an anti-virus and anti-spam product. 
  • Check your online account balances and transaction regularly for any discrepancies.