Ongoing Email/Internet Scams

CUNA Website Phishing Email
   The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Website is the subject of an illegal phishing message e-mailed to credit union members to collect their User Name and Password information. 
   The fraudulent message uses graphics from CUNA's Website. It uses the America's Credit Unions logo and also has CUNA's copyright. CUNA is warning people who receive the e-mail not to clink on the link to the fake Web page and to instead delete the message.
   CUNA is a national trade association for credit unions. CUNA does NOT have access to credit union member accounts.

"Gift Cards for Survey" Scam
   An email promises gift cards or merchandise from major retailers for filling out an online survey. Among the "survey" questions are the name of your financial institution, passwords, email addresses, and other personal and account information. 
   If you receive an email of this kind, do not click on any link or provide any information about yourself or any of your accounts. 

Account Manager or Transfer Agent Scam
   An email or advertisement on the Web is hiring an "Account Manager" or "Money Transfer Agent". 
   A "growing international business" needs someone to hold their U.S. funds for them. Customers supposedly wire payments to the Account Manager's account, and the Account Manager passes the money along to the company via Western Union. The Account Manager is promised a percentage of the proceeds and the chance to work from home. 
   In reality, the money that's transferred to the Account Manager is stolen from other accounts via phishing schemes. The money trail clearly leads to the Account Manager, so this is the first person apprehended by authorities. 
   If you see one of these "Account Manager" ads, do not respond to the offer. Forward it immediately to your local Secret Service office or to its national Financial Crimes Division at 950 H Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001 or fax to 202-406-5031

Loss Prevention Recommendations

• Do not open suspicious messages - delete them immediately. 
    
• Per Credit Union policy, Soo Line Credit Union will NEVER solicit personal or private financial information via e-mail. If you receive an email that purports to be from SLCU or an affiliate of SLCU, delete the message immediately.  Please contact SLCU if you have additional questions at 800-355-7528 or 877-634-0020.
   
• If you are involved in a scam, report the incident to your local Secret Service office or to its national Financial Crimes Division at 950 H Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001 or fax to 202-406-5031. 

"Phishing" and "Pharming"

Phishing is the act of sending an email falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise, in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information. 

Phishing emails usually include a link to a Web site where they are asked to update personal information such as passwords and credit/debit card, Social Security Number, and bank/credit union account numbers -- information that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site is a spoof and set up only to steal the user’s information.

Pharming occurs when unsuspecting users are infected with spyware that invisibly affects their toolbar and home page. 

When these victims then type in the URLs of popular websites like Google or Ebay, they are secretly redirected to a spoofed, malicious site. Once there, users are asked to enter login names and passwords that hackers steal and then use or sell the information. 

Unlike phishing, pharming doesn’t rely on manipulating the uneducated user. It doesn’t lure victims to a Web site through an email or email link. So the usual anti-phishing advice about not clicking on unsolicited links doesn’t apply here. You may type in the correct URL, but a computer with a poisoned host file will take you to the malicious website anyway.

For more information about phishing and pharming and how to protect yourself, visit www.antiphishing.org.