Don't Bite!

Beware of Credit Union (and other) Phishing Scams

Recently, people have been receiving counterfeit emails claiming to be from their credit unions, and asking recipients to confirm their account information (an illegal scamming practice know as "phishing").

OHecu will never ask you for account information in an email. If you receive such an email, DO NOT REPLY! Some of the people who did suffered financial losses as a result.

What is Phishing?

Phishing scams use "spoofed" emails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, Social Security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known financial institutions, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince many recipients to provide personal and financial information. They may design their emails and web pages to exactly duplicate the appearance of those used by the institution they are masquerading as.

Loss Prevention Recommendations

• Do not click on links or attached files in suspicious emails.
• Do not, under any circumstances, provide personal information to unknown sources.
• Before submitting financial information
  through a website, look for the "lock" icon on
  the browser's status bar.
• Review credit card and other account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized transactions.
• If a statement is late by more than a couple of days, call the credit card company or credit union to confirm your billing address and account balances.
• Report suspicious activity to the FTC.
• Send the actual spam/phish to www.ftc.gov.
• If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov and visit the FTC's Identity Theft Website (www.ftc.gov/idtheft) to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from the identity theft.
• If you suspect you're a victim of identity theft, place a "Fraud Alert" on credit bureau records.