Email "Phishing" Scam - Don't Get Hooked!

If you receive an unsolicited email from your credit union or Visa please delete it without opening it. This email may appear to have originated from your credit union or Visa and tells you that your account had been compromised. It will direct you to follow a link in the email, log into your account and verify personal information. The link in the email is fraudulent. If you receive an email like this please contact Visa at phishing@visa.com.

For more information on "phishing" and online security please read below.

As you may have heard in the news, the scam is called "phishing". A thief sends out an e-mail which looks just like it came from your credit union. It may include your credit union's name, logo, and even wording from your credit union's website. It also includes a convincing message explaining why you need to log in and verify your account information. Don't do it.

This e-mail is a fake meant to lure you to a website that doesn't belong to your credit union at all. It is simply a vehicle used by the thief to steal personal information about you, commonly referred to as "identifying information". Identifying information is any information that can be used to identify you, including your user name, password, debit and credit card numbers, and account number.

If you fall into the trap and enter your log-in name and password on this fake webpage, the thief will be able to use your log-in information and make transactions on your account! If you know how to identify a phishing attack e-mail, though, you won't fall into the trap and your money will stay in your account. The attacker can't get your identifying information through a phishing e-mail unless you give it to the attacker.

What to look for?

Be aware of any e-mail that asks you to log in to your account, verify your account, or provide any other identity information. Be wary no matter what reason is given, and no matter how convincing the e-mail may be.

Follow these simple rules and you should be safe.

• Don't click on any links within an e-mail asking you to access your account or to verify PIN numbers, passwords or other sensitive information.
• If you get an e-mail that appears to be from your credit union asking you to log-in or for other information, immediately contact your credit union and report the incident. Be prepared to forward a copy of the message to them for review if requested to do so.
• If you or someone in your family mistakenly follows a link and provides sensitive information, immediately call your credit union so that they can monitor your account or change your account number.
• Remember, the thief copies text and images from credit union websites to make the e-mails look authentic and fool people into divulging sensitive information.
• Never give out your personal or account log-in information after following a link from an e-mail, even as "identity verification" for a contest. Attackers frequently use such tactics to lure you into giving up identifying information.