Recent Scams

This page is dedicated to informing you of the most recent scam/phishing/pharming/malicious events Honda FCU has become aware of that could affect you, our members. Please visit this page often to receive up to date information.

February 1 , 2012 - We Continue to see NACHA Operational Advisory scams

HFCU members are continuing to receive fraudulent emails that say they are from NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association. These emails vary in content and appear to be transmitted from email addresses associated with the NACHA. Some bear the name of fictitious NACHA employees and/or departments.

NACHA itself does not process nor touch the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. NACHA does not send communications to persons or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

Be aware that phishing emails frequently have attachments and/or links to Web pages that host malicious code and software. Do not open attachments or follow Web links in unsolicited emails from unknown parties or from parties with whom you do not normally communicate, or that appear to be known but are suspicious or otherwise unusual.

If malicious code is detected or suspected on a computer, consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist to remove malicious code or re-install a clean image of the computer system.

Always use anti-virus software and ensure that the virus signatures are automatically updated.

Ensure that the computer operating systems and common software application security patches are installed and current.

January 27, 2012 - eNFACT Notifications are FRAUD

Members are receiving email messages trying to verify ATM transactions. Honda Federal Credit Union would never notify a member to verify account information via email. Here is a sample of the email members are receiving. If you have received this message, delete it immediately it is fraud. Do not click the link and do not provide any personal information.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: eNFACT Notifications [mailto:noreply@enfactnotifications.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 12:21 PM
To: Recipients
Subject: eNFACT Case #29018

To protect your account, we monitor your ATM and debit card transactions for potentially fraudulent activity which may include a sudden change in locale (such as when a U.S.-issued card is used unexpectedly overseas), a sudden string of costly purchases, or any pattern associated with new fraud trends around the world.

An eNFACT Case was generated for the cardholder below:

Transaction 1 Information:
A charge on 10/23/2011 in the amount of $438.09 in ITALY Transaction Score: 981

Transaction 2 Information:
A charge on 10/23/2011 in the amount of $513.14 in ITALY Transaction Score: 918

Transaction 3 Information:
A charge on 10/22/2011 in the amount of $0.02 at O RANCH Transaction Score: 37

The eNFACT Case is generated when a suspect transaction is detected. If this transaction was not initiated by you as the credit card holder please follow the steps as shown at : http://www.efactnotify.com/

Please be sure to complete the Case Resolution Notification (CRN) Form at (http://www.efactnotify.com/) . If you have any questions, or would like additional information pertaining to this eNFACT Case, please contact the Card Processing Center at 800-262-2024.

**** THIS IS AN AUTOMATED EMAIL. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.
****
You are receiving this automated message because your financial institution and card issuer are subscribed to our service.

Disclaimer Information This email is confidential and may well be legally privileged. If you have received it in error, you are on notice of its status. Please notify us immediately at 800-262-2214 and then delete this message from your system. Please do not copy it, use it for any purposes, or disclose its contents to any other person. To do so could violate state and federal privacy laws. Thank you for your cooperation.

December 7, 2011 - Phishing Attacks Using NACHA

The FBI has issued a warning about a new malware attack targeting bank accounts. The malware is called Gameover. The FBI suggests that consumers and businesses pay attention to suspicious emails purporting to come from NACHA, The Electronic Payments Association. As you are aware, NACHA does not traditionally send emails directly to businesses or consumers.

Receipt of a direct email from an organization such as NACHA should raise a red flag. If you receive any emails appearing to come from NACHA please delete them. Do not open or click on any links contained in the message.

November 23, 2011 - Beware this Holiday Season!

As the holiday season approaches, it is important to be aware of potential scams. Con artists are working hard to get their hands on your member’s money as well as personal and financial information. To help reduce the risk and protect credit union members, we offer a list of potential scams along with tips for a safer and smarter holiday shopping season.

• Watch for mobile malware – especially deals for black Friday and cyber Monday.
• Be cautious when looking for free mobile apps - may be an attempt to steal information.
• Watch for malicious screensavers, ring tones and e-cards.
• Watch for purchase offers of fake anti-virus software – this scam may trick you into purchasing the software.
• Secure your computer – at a minimum, have anti-virus, anti-spyware and a firewall.
• Remember to turn off your computer when you’re done shopping.
• Watch for social media scams – phony Facebook and Twitter sites or other online promotions and contests.
• Beware of scammers advertising popular holiday items.
• Check out the seller of items – research before you buy.
• Don’t fall for the mystery shopping scam asking you to shop for $XX dollars (ex: $100).
• Online coupon scams may ask for your personal or financial information using email.
• Holiday phishing scams – Don’t fall for emails, text messages or phone calls asking for personal or financial information.
• Monitor credit, debit and account numbers used for your holiday shopping to help identify any unauthorized usage.
• Vacation scams – don’t post holiday pictures until you are back home.
• Lighted parking lots – survey the parking lot surroundings. Make sure you have your car keys in your hands before entering the parking lot.
• If an offer or item sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.
• Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or call toll-free 1.877.ftc.help (1.877.382.4357)

August 8, 2011 - Trojan Tricks Victims Into Transferring Funds

A new malware variant uses a devilish scheme to trick people into voluntarily transferring money from their accounts to a cyber thief’s account.

This new Windows malware strain waits until the victim logs in their account. The malware then presents the member with a message stating that a credit has been made to their account by mistake, and that the account has been frozen until the errant payment is transferred back.

When a member views their account balance, the malware modifies the amounts displayed in their browser; it appears that they have recently received a large transfer into their account. The member is then told to immediately make a transfer to return the funds and unlock their account. The malicious software presents an already filled-in online transfer form — with the account and routing numbers for a bank account the attacker controls.

If you log in to your account and see something odd, like an alert about a wayward transfer, your best option is to pick up the phone and call your bank or credit union. Make sure you are using the real phone number: Malware like the ZeuS Trojan has been known to present newly-fleeced victims with messages about problems with the bank’s Web site, along with a bogus customer support phone number.

If you have any questions regarding your Honda Federal Credit Union accounts, contact us directly at 1-800-63-Honda (1-800-634-6632).

August 2 , 2011 - Texting Fraud

Members are recieving text messages asking to verify card information. In the text is says that its your credit union and that your card had been deactivated. Honda Federal Credit Union would never notify a member about their account information via text. Here is a sample of the text members are recieving.
_________________

ILWU C.U. ALERT: Your CARD starting with XXXX has been DEACTIVATED.
Please contact us at 310-237-5339.
_________________

If you receive a text message like this, delete it immediately. If you have any questions regarding your Honda Federal Credit Union accounts, contact us directly at 1-800-63-Honda (1-800-634-6632).

July 21 , 2011 - CU Members Victimized in Smishing Attacks

In the last few days, credit unions from around the country have reported their members are receiving bogus text message (smishing) alerts. The text message indicates it is from Credit Union Services and advises the member to call the number provided in the text message to have their card reactivated. This is a scam as no credit union would ever ask a member for this type of information using text messaging. If you receive a text message like this, delete it immediately. If you have any questions regarding your Honda Federal Credit Union accounts, contact us directly at 1-800-63-Honda (1-800-634-6632).

June 23 , 2011 - Amazon.com Email Scam

Members are calling stating that they have received emails from Amazon.com regarding a breach in their security. This email is fraudulant. Amazon has not set out an email to it's customers. If you receive this type of email please disregard. If you are concerned please contact Amazon directly.

___________________________________________________________

Dear Jane Doe,

This is an important message from Amazon.com. As a precaution, we've reset your Amazon.com password because you may have been subject to a "fishing" scam. Here's how fishing works:

A scam artist sends an email, which is designed to look like it came from a reputable company such as a bank, financial institution, or retailer like Amazon.com, but is in fact a forgery. These e-mails direct you to a website that looks remarkably similar to the reputable company's website, where you are asked to provide account information such as your e-mail address and password. Since that web site is actually controlled by the fisher, they get the information you entered.

Go to amazon.com/phish to read more about ways to protect yourself from fishing. To regain access to your Amazon customer account:

1. Go to Amazon.com and click the "Your Account" link at the top of our website.

2. Click the link that says "Forgot your password?"

3. Follow the instructions to set a new password for your account.

Please choose a new password and do not use the same password you used with us previously.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon.com

Sincerely,

Amazon.com

Please note: this email was sent from an address that cannot accept incoming email. To contact us about an unrelated issue, please visit the Help section of our website.

May 11, 2011 - Automated Phone Message Attack in Progress

Pre-recorded phone messages are being delivered to random members with the warning that their debit cards have been closed. When the members call the telephone number provided by the fraudsters they hear a recording that requests a 16-digit card number, expiration date of the card and PIN. Please do not call these numbers-and do not provide any confidential information. Contact your financial institution immediately if you advertently release any information.

March 31, 2011 - Operational Advisory

NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association has received reports that individuals and/or companies continue to receive fraudulent emails that have the appearance of having been sent from NACHA. These emails vary in content and appear to be transmitted from email addresses associated with the NACHA domain (@nacha.org). Some bear the name of fictitious NACHA employees and/or departments.

NACHA itself does not process nor touch the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. NACHA does not send communications to persons or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

Be aware that phishing emails frequently have attachments and/or links to Web pages that host malicious code and software. Do not open attachments or follow Web links in unsolicited emails from unknown parties or from parties with whom you do not normally communicate, or that appear to be known but are suspicious or otherwise unusual.

If malicious code is detected or suspected on a computer, consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist to remove malicious code or re-install a clean image of the computer system.

Always use anti-virus software and ensure that the virus signatures are automatically updated.

Ensure that the computer operating systems and common software application security patches are installed and current.

To get around phishing blacklists in browsers, scammers are luring people by using HTML attachments instead of URLs, a security firm is warning.

Chrome and Firefox are good at detecting phishing sites and warning Web surfers via a browser notice when they are about to visit a site that looks dangerous. So good, in fact, that scammers are resorting to a new tactic to lure victims into their traps via e-mails--attaching HTML files that are stored locally when they are opened, according to an M86 blog post yesterday.

After the user fills in a form with the information the scammers want to steal and clicks "submit," the HTML form sends the data through a POST request to a PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) script hosted on a legitimate Web server that has been compromised. (POST is used when a computer is sending data over the Internet to a Web server.) Because few PHP URLs are reported as abuse, this action does not trigger a warning from the browser, M86 said.

"Months-old phishing campaigns remain undetected, so it seems this tactic is quite effective," the blog post says. "Logically, however, the browser should be able to detect a URL when the browser sends the POST request."

The phishing URLs alone without the HTML form are hard to verify because the PHP script runs in the server and no visible HTML is displayed after clicking the submit button, other than redirecting to a page belonging to the company the scammer was pretending to be, the post says.

To protect against this, people should avoid opening HTML attachments if the e-mail seems suspicious and not provide any information in forms. Financial institutions do not send such attachments to customers.

While many people will click on a link in an e-mail that looks like it comes from their bank, fewer are likely to open the HTML attachment.

Mozilla representatives did not provide comment on the report today. Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson provided this comment: "Google has a number of defenses against phishing sites to help protect our users. For example, Gmail checks HTML attachments for phishing sites and displays a warning to users when one is detected. We always encourage users to be cautious when handling unexpected attachments and when providing personal information requested by email."

Full Article: Click Here

3/2/2010 - Phishing attempts recirculating - "$50 Survey ".

NCUA Sounds Alarm on Fraudulent Email to CU Members - 3/2/2010

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Tuesday issued an alert about a new scam targeting credit unions members.

The agency warned of fraudulent emails pretending to come from the NCUA and asking credit union member participation in an "Online Survey" or "Member Survey." The emails even promises a nice $50 compensation as an inducement to respond to the email.

The emails are fraudulent, the NCUA warns it may be an attempt to obtain confidential member information. The agency does not solicit such information from credit union members. "This is a phishing activity with no NCUA activity or approval. If you have received these emails please do not respond. If you have any questions or concerns please email NCUA" at this address, pacamail@ncua.gov.

NACHA Phishing Alert (02/22/2011) Email Claiming to be from NACHA

NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association has received reports that individuals and/or companies have received a fraudulent email that has the appearance of having been sent from NACHA and signed by a non-existent NACHA employee. Specifically, this email claims to be from the “Electronic Payments Association” and appears to be coming from the email address "payments@nacha.org.” See a sample of the email below.

Be aware that phishing emails frequently have attachments and/or links to Web pages that host malicious code and software. Do not open attachments or follow Web links in unsolicited emails from unknown parties or from parties with whom you do not normally communicate, or that appear to be known but are suspicious or otherwise unusual.

NACHA itself does not process nor touch the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. NACHA does not send communications to individuals or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

If malicious code is detected or suspected on a computer, consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist to remove malicious code or re-install a clean image of the computer system.

Always use anti-virus software and ensure that the virus signatures are automatically updated.

Ensure that the computer operating systems and common software applications security patches are installed and current.

Be alert for different variations of fraudulent emails.

= = = = = Sample Email = = = = = =

From:payments@nacha.org [mailto:payments@nacha.org]

Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 7:32 AM

To: Doe, John

Subject: ACH transaction rejected

The ACH transaction, recently sent from your checking account (by you or any other person), was cancelled by the Electronic Payments Association.

Please click here to view report ------------------------------------------------------------------

Otto Tobin, Risk Manager = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Zappos.com Electorinic Report Email Scam - 8/10/10

Email messages are being delivered to members asking them to verify large charges from a company by the name of Zappos.com and there was a box to click on to verify the activity. If you have received this email DO NOT RESPOND and do not click on any boxes or open any attachments this email is  fraudulent, delete it immediately and contact your financial institution.

ATM Electorinic Report Email Scam - 7/30/10

Email messages are being delivered to members with a warning that their ATM card was used in Peru. If you have received this email DO NOT RESPOND and do not open any attachments this email is  fraudulent, delete it immediately and contact your financial institution. Below is a sample of the  fraudulent email:

__________________

Dear VISA card holder,

A recent review of your transaction history determined that your card was used at an ATM located in Peru, but for security reasons the requested transaction was refused. Please carefully review electronic report for your VISA card (attach to this letter)

Automated Phone Message Attack in Progress - 7/29/10

Pre-recorded phone messages are being delivered to random members with the warning that their debit cards have been closed. When the members call the telephone number provided by the fraudsters they hear a recording that requests a 16-digit card number, expiration date of the card and PIN. Please do not call these numbers-and do not provide any confidential information. Contact your financial institution immediately.

Fraudulent Emails from the Electronic Payments Association- 7/23/10

Honda Associates have been receiving fraudulent emails regarding "An unauthorized transaction billed from your back account". This is a fraudulent email. Do not click on the link. Contact your financial institution immediately. See sample of the email below:

__________________________________________________

To: Name@ham.honda.com

CC:

Bcc: Name/HAM/AM/HONDA

Subject: An unauthorized transaction billed from your bank account

Dear bank account holder,

The ACH transaction, recently initiated from your back account , was rejected by the Electronic Payments Association. Please Review the transaction report by clicking the link below:

Unauthorized ACH Transaction Report

-------------------------------------------

Copyright 2010 by NACHA - The Electronic Payments Assocation

False E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC - 7/2/10

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

The subject line of the e-mails state: "you need to check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The e-mail tells recipients that, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets." The e-mail then directs recipients to click on a link stating "You need to visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage."

This e-mail and associated Web site are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto end users' computers and should not click on the link provided.

Survey Email Fraud - 6/28/10

Members have been receiving fraudulent online survey emails. The email says that you have been radomly selected to particiapant and that you will receive a $50 credit to your account. This survey is FRAUD. If you see this survey DO NOT REPLY. Delete it immediately.

Here is a sample of the email****************************************************

From: info@cuofohio.org
Sent: 6/21/2010 7:10:47 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: $50 online survey

Dear Customer:
You have been randomly selected to take part in this survey to let us know what we are doing well and where
we need to do better.  In return we will credit $50.00 to your account - Just for your time!. 

Please click the following link to participate in this survey:
CUofOhio Survey
 
If you have any difficulty with the link above, please paste the following URL into your browser's address bar:
http://www.cuofohio.org/script/en-us/takesrv.asp?guid=T2GlJ42H

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact us at: contact@cuofohio.org.

Thank you for your comments.

CELL PHONE SCAM IN SOUTH CAROLINA 4-29-2010

Many Verizon and Sprint users have received the following text message in South Carolina.  Please note that this is a SCAM, targeting another local credit union.  Members should never provide their account information or any other personal information such as their account number or social security number to anyone.

*******************************************************

HF FCU Alert: Your card has been deactivated. Please contact us at 800-853-5986 to reactivate your card.

YOUR ATM VISA CARD DELIVERY NOTIFICATION 4-15-2010

Beware of an email message with the subject line "YOUR ATM VISA CARD DELIVERY NOTIFICATION." This is a fraud email that is trying to get members to disclose personal information. Please note that Honda Federal Credit Union will never ask for personal information in an email. If you see the email below, do not respond or call the number, delete the message immediately.
*******************************************************

YOUR ATM VISA CARD DELIVERY NOTIFICATION
Dear partner,

Your Bank Draft worth of $1.5million usd has been credited in ATM VISA CARD by the issuing Bank, be inform that you can not withdraw more than $7.500 per day this is what the Bank said you will see the rest details when you receive it ,
I have also registered your ATM VISA CARD $1.5million usd with UPS Express Company reconfirm your contact information as follows Your full name Delivery Address Telephone Number Your state Your Country,
Contact person is P.R.O: Dr.Jeff Basil,
Email; ( ups_post@w.cn )
Phone number +229 9805 7556
I paid for the delivering charges except their security keeping fee of $95usd which they said no because they don’t know when you will contact them in case of demurrage. So you are to pay the $95.00 as soon as you contact them
SEND TO HIM YOUR PERSONAL CONTACT. (1,FULL NAME(2,DELIVERY ADDRESS (3,PHONE NUMBER, AND DONT LET THEM KNOW THAT THE BOX CONTEND MONEY.

REGARDS,
Mr.Paula Soehrman

VISA CHECK CARD FRAUD ALERT 3-22-2010

Beware when using your PIN at remote stand alone Point of Sale Key Pads. Such as gas stations, movie rentals machines, etc.  Fraudulent electronic devices may be attached to the unit and your PIN and Card Number can be stolen. 

How to protect yourself?
If you see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary attached to the Point of Sale Key Pads - DO NOT USE IT, call the police immediately and call Honda FCU at 1.800.63Honda (1.800.634.6632).

To take extra precautions always run your check cards as Credit and not Debit when at remote locations. This way your PIN is not being used during the transaction.

HFFCU (Health Facilities Federal Credit Union) PHONE CALL SCAM 3-15-2010

A number of our members are receiving phone calls or text messages from HFFCU stating that members have to call a tel # because their "ATM Debit card" would be cancelled. HFFCU sounds very close to HFCU, but represents Health Facilities Federal Credit Union. Should you ever receive calls like this, please do not respond and refrain from entering your card information.  This is a phishing scam. 

Please remember that we will NEVER ask you to enter your card number. If you ever receive a suspicious call, please contact us immediately.  There are so many ways for perpetrators to attempt to get personal information. It is important that you remember to limit the release of personal information in order to protect yourself from fraud.

NEW PHISHING PHONE CALL SCAM 3-4-2010

A number of our members are receiving phone calls from people claiming they are calling from National Card Services.  They claim that the cards have been suspended due to a 3rd party access and ask to further verify the member’s identity by asking them to enter their credit card number. They also leave a fictitious call back number.  Should you ever receive calls like this, please do not respond and refrain from entering your card information.  This is a phishing scam. 

Please remember that we will NEVER ask you to enter your Visa card number. If you ever receive a suspicious call, please contact us immediately.  There are so many ways for perpetrators to attempt to get personal information. It is important that you remember to limit the release of personal information in order to protect yourself from fraud.

INTERNET BANKING Virus Scam "Zeusbot" 2-24-2010

BEWARE OF ZEUSBOT SCAM
More than 74,000 PCs at nearly 2,500 organizations around the globe were compromised over the past year and a half in a botnet infestation, most common, Zeusbot or Zbot which are designed to steal login credentials to bank sites, social networks, and e-mail systems.

The Zeusbot attack is bypassing many anti-virus scanning software used by credit union members, putting their personal financial information in jeopardy when they log into their credit union’s internet banking. The Zeusbot infects a computer and waits for the user to log into internet banking, then it launches a pop-up screen (example below) asking the user to further verify the log in by entering their credit card number, the three digit card security code, expiration date and ATM pin number- all of which will be available to the hackers.


Typically, this Zeusbot scam pop-up screen will appear after you’ve entered your account number to log into internet banking, but before the password box is prompted. If you encounter the Zeusbot pop-up please refrain from entering any information, shut down your computer and contact the publisher of your anti-virus software for assistance in removing Zeusbot. If you do not have an anti-virus software already installed on your computer, it is highly recommended that you search for anti-virus products that can detect and remove Zeusbot. Also, for extra precaution, please remember to notify Honda FCU immediately so we can change your internet banking passwords.

As always, if you ever encounter any unfamiliar pop-ups after you’ve entered your account number in internet banking asking for your personal information, please refrain from entering your information and contact us at 1-800-634-6632, immediately.

BUYER BEWARE 2-15-10

"Terms & Conditions" For Free Trial Offers
In most cases, members are not aware that there is a catch when it comes to "Free Trial Offers."  Members will be charged the full price for a product or service unless it's returned or cancelled within a specific timeframe as stated in that company's Terms and Conditions.  In addition, many of these "Free Trial Offers" automatically enroll members in other products resulting in unexpected monthly charges.


Buyer Beware ~ Nothing is Free...
Before engaging in Free Trial Offers, members should always carefully read the Terms and Conditions.   In most cases these are Fraud/Scams and your credit card companies are unable to return the charges back to the merchant.  You could be held responsible for these charges.