Recent Scams

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.

NCUA Sounds Alarm on Fraudulent Email to CU Members - 6/9/10

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 $40 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.

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.

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.

TEXTING SCAM 12-8-2009

Members have reported receiving Phishing text messages from (310) 861-6701. The text messages are requesting members to respond to D108616701@norgrumfcu.org. THIS IS A SCAM! Please do not respond, and do not provide ANY personal information request via a TEXT message ever!

GIFT CARD SCAMS 11-17-2009

Members have been receiving phone calls from scammers claiming they are calling from Honda FCU. They are calling regarding the outstanding credit balance on their Honda FCU Visa Credit Card. They verify the members name, address and the last 4 digits of their Credit Card (that they fraudulently attained) and offer the member the opportunity to get two(2) $200 gift cards for retailers like Wal-mart or Target and a $1200 gift card for groceries for just $20.00.

To accept the offer, the member is instructed to sign up at www.expertwarranty.com (login credential provided by scammers) for 3 different things that ranges in price from $3.00 to $10.00 as an introductory offer. They would e-mail this information to the member within 24 - 48 hours. If the member chooses to keep these offers the money would automatically be deducted from the member's credit card. If the member wants to cancel they have 7 - 10 days to cancel at www.expertwarranty.com (The scammers have chosen the website randomly). They provide the member with a login and password(that doesn't exist). The scammers then say they will send the products in the mail, but the member never receives anything.

Please note that Honda FCU will never call and ask you, a member, for your personal information nor would we sell these types of products.

Be wary about these types of scams, if it sounds too good
to be true it probably is!

Malicious email purporting to be from NACHA is currently circulating.

Random individuals and/or companies may have received a falsified e-mail with the subject title “Rejected ACH Transaction.” This e-mail appears to be from NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association telling them that there is a problem with an ACH transaction they have originated. The e-mail includes a link which redirects the individual to a fake web page which appears like the NACHA website and contains a link which is almost certainly executable virus with malware. See sample below.

IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE EMAILS DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK! The email carries a potentially destructive virus. A sample of the phishing email follows:

= = = = = Sample E-mail = = = = = =

From: nacha.org [mailto:report@nacha.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:25 AM
To: Doe, John
Subject: Rejected ACH transaction, please review the transaction report

Dear bank account holder,

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

Unauthorized ACH Transaction Report (this is the how the link is presented)

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

Additional information can be found on the NACHA website at www.nacha.org.

Fraudulent E-mails Claiming to Be From the FDIC 10-28-2009

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has warned of e-mails that appear to be sent from the FDIC that ask recipients to download and open a "personal FDIC insurance file" to check their deposit insurance coverage. These e-mails are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the e-mails and disrupt the transmission.

Currently, the subject line of the fraudulent e-mails includes the wording "check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The e-mails state: "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-mails ask recipients to "visit the official FDIC website" by clicking on a hyperlink provided, which appears to be related to the FDIC and directs recipients to a fraudulent Web site. The Web site includes hyperlinks that appear to open forms. However, it is believed that clicking on the hyperlinks will cause an unknown executable file to be downloaded. While the FDIC is working with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) to determine the exact effects of the executable file, recipients should consider the intent of the software as a malicious attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to online banking services or to conduct identity theft. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the Web site or download the executable files provided on the Web site.

Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents and other fraudulent activity may be forwarded to the FDIC's Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-3054, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Information related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's website at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2009/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

New Texting Scam 5-7-2009

Members have called in that they are receiving a text message indicating their "Your Visa account is closed due to unusual activity. Call visa” 888-780-5082". When you call the number you receive a quick message “the destination you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time”, then the phone rings, then it goes to a busy signal.

THIS IS A SCAM! Honda FCU would never send you a message of this sort. Please make sure that you do not provide your account number or any other private information to someone over the phone you do not know.

Email Scam 7-17-2009

Please, do not respond to this email!

From: BANK OF AMERICA <america301@msn.com>
To: Member
Subject: NOTIFICATION OF CREDIT FROM BANK OF AMERICA....
Please respond to mrbenbernanke1@gmail.com
The Federal Reserve Board
Bank of America
1890 Epps Bridge Pkwy, Athens, GA 30606

NOTIFICATION OF CREDIT FROM BANK OF AMERICA.

Attn: Beneficiary,

We have this 6th day of May, 2009 received a payment credit instruction from the Federal Government of Nigeria to credit your account with your full Inheritance fund of US$10.3Million from the Nigerian reserve account with our bank, Bank of America

However, you shall required to provide the followings datas below:

{1}. Your Full Name and Address.:
{2}. Your Confidential Tel, Cell and Fax.
{3). Your Bank name and address.:
{4). Your A/c Name and A/c Numbers.:
(5). Your Swift Code / Routing Numbers.:

Please do provide the above information accurately, because this office cannot afford to be held liable for any wrong transfer of funds or liability of funds credited into a ghost account.

Thanks for banking with Bank of America while we looking forward to serving you with the best of our service.

Thanks and God bless you.

Regards,

Chairman Bernanke

Yours in Service,
Mr.Ben S. Bernanke
A/C officer B O A Georgia Branch.
Bank of America Chairman Federal Reserve Bank New York

New Texting Scam 5-7-2009

Members have called in that they are receiving a text message indicating their "Your Visa account is closed due to unusual activity. Call visa” 888-780-5082". When you call the number you receive a quick message “the destination you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time”, then the phone rings, then it goes to a busy signal.

THIS IS A SCAM! Honda FCU would never send you a message of this sort. Please make sure that you do not provide your account number or any other private information to someone over the phone you do not know.

Texting Scam 3-2009

Members have called in that they are receiving a text message indicating their "HCFU Customer Account" has been disabled, and to call a phone number to activate their account. When they call the phone number, the prompt Says AOD Federal Credit Union Telephone Banking System.

THIS IS A SCAM! Honda FCU would never send you a message of this sort. Please make sure that you do not provide your account number or any other private information to someone over the phone you do not know.

New Vishing Scam 1-28-2009

Several Members have advised us in South Carolina that they are receiving calls from a prerecorded message that states "Your credit union credit/debit card has been temporarily blocked or suspended. At the tone, please enter your 16-digit card number and expiration date to reactive". The Caller ID numbers coming across cell phone screens can be from Ohio or Canada.

Please be aware of this scam

Honda Federal Credit Union will NEVER leave you a PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE to enter your card number and expiration date to REACTIVATE your card. If you receive this message, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

New Vishing Scam 1-27-2009

Several Members have advised us in South Carolina that they are receiving calls regarding their accounts with First Citizens Bank. Members state that the caller has the last 4 digits of their account number with First Citizens Bank and then asks them to confirm their debit and/or credit card numbers.

Please be aware of this scam

If you receive one of these calls, please report it to First Citizens Bank and the Federal Trade Commission.



New Email Wire Scam 1-27-2009

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) is warning credit unions and their members to be aware of fraudulent e-mails allegedly from the Federal Reserve Bank. The fraudulent e-mails claim that a phishing attack has affected the Fedwire system and that restrictions are in place. The e-mails further instruct recipients to click on links within the e-mail for additional information.

The fraudulent e-mails have included various spoofed names and addresses in the "From:" line of the messages, including "Bank System Administration," "System Administration," and "Federal Reserve Bank." The e-mails contain the following message verbatim:

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK

Important: You're getting this letter in connection with new directives issued by U.S. Treasury Department. The directives concern U.S. Federal Wire online payments. On January 1, 2009 a large-scaled phishing attack started and has been still lasting. A great number of banks and credit unions is affected by this attack and quantity of illegal wire transfers has reached an extremely high level. U.S. Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in common worked out a complex of immediate actions for the highest possible reduction of fraudulent operations. We regret to inform you that definite restrictions will be applied to all Federal Wire transfers from January 6 till January 16. Here you can get more detailed information regarding the affected banks and U.S. Treasury Department restrictions:

The message contains links to two Web pages that attempt to load malicious Trojan horse programs onto end users' computers. If you receive this email, you should take the following precautions: we suggest you fully scan the computer using updated anti-virus software. If malicious code is detected on the computer, consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist to remove the malicious code or re-install a clean image of the computer system.

New Vishing Scam 12-5-2008

A number of VISA and MasterCard cardholders are reporting telephone scams where fraudsters are portraying themselves as calling from the security department at VISA or MasterCard.

Here is how it works:

The fraudsters state, "I am calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA/MasterCard. My badge number is 12345. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern and I'm calling to verify your transactions. This would be on your VISA/MasterCard issued by (name of financial institution). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?"

When the cardholder indicates no, the fraudster states that they will then issue a credit to the cardholder's account. The fraudster then verifies the cardholder address by giving the address to the cardholder. They also go as far as giving them a case number to refer back to when calling VISA/MasterCard. However, at the end of the call, the fraudster indicates they need to verify the cardholder is in possession of their card and asks for the security code on the back.

Within minutes, charges start to appear from a marketing firm in Arizona.

Please be aware of this scam

The calls closely resemble legitimate calls made in true fraud detection efforts. The big difference is that Honda FCU will never ask for the security code on the back of the card. If you should fall victim to this scam, please report this immediately to the credit union at 1-800-634-6632 and report it to your local police department.

October 30, 2008

Text Message Phishing Scam
CO-OP Financial Services has notified credit unions in the past about email phishing scams and deceitful attempts to obtain cardholder information with the intent of committing fraudulent activity against member accounts. Multiple member credit unions have recently reported a phishing scam they are experiencing.

This fraudulent attempt to capture card numbers is done with an automated text message referring to themselves as CO-OP Services Credit Union Customer Services Department from a four digit phone number of 3693.

The text message indicates that the member’s credit or debit card has unusual activity on their account. In order to restore the member’s account access, the message asks the member to call 813.600.1551 and enter their 16-digit credit or debit card number along with three additional pieces of information that is linked to the member’s account.

CO-OP Financial Services would never refer to themselves as CO-OP Services Credit Union Customer Services Department, and would not send text messages to cardholders about their accounts. When their staff makes or receives calls from cardholders, they identify ourselves as the Card Member Security Department.

There are so many ways for perpetrators to attempt to get personal information, including the use of auto-dialers and text messages. It is important that you remember to limit the release of personal information in order to protect yourself from fraud.

http://www.co-opfs.org

10/13/08
NEW SCAM ALERT! Members are receiving automated phone messages from scammers claiming to be Wecu Credit Union (or other CUs) telling members their services/cards with the credit union have been expired and are asked to dial one to reactive. THIS MESSAGE IS A SCAM . Please, do not give out any personal information over the telephone, particularly if you are unfamiliar with the caller. If you have received any of these types of calls please report them to the Federal Trade Commission at 877) FTC-HELP.

MEMBER ALERT

Two types of scams, credit card via the phone, and "phishing" by email, have hit our membership base recently. Please read below, so that you too do not fall victim to fraud.

VISA and Mastercard Fraud - Members are receiving phone calls at home from "Visa" or "Mastercard" Fraud departments (which are fake). NEVER, NEVER give your card number, or three-digit number found on the card back, to anyone over the phone who calls you.

The scam works like this: A person calls, gives their name, and states that they are calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. They may provide a Badge number. They state that your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and they are calling to verify. They state the bank name, and ask if you have purchased a product like "an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona"?

When you say "No", the caller says they will be issuing a credit to your account. They then verify your address, and provide you with instructions to call the 800# listed on your VISA card and ask for Security. They advise you will need to refer to a control number they furnish.

They then ask to verify the card in your possession. They indicate there are three numbers on the back of the card used to make internet purchases, and ask that you read those three numbers back to them. The scammers indicate they wish to verify the card is in your possession. WHAT THE SCAMMERS WANT IS THE THREE DIGIT NUMBER ON THE BACK OF THE CARD. DO NOT GIVE THAT NUMBER OUT!

Phishing Fraud- There has been a barrage of e-mails to consumers that warn of problems with an account or promote a special offer, and then direct you to a web site that appears to belong to a reputable company like America Online, Earthlink, AT&T, Yahoo, VISA, Amazon.com, eBay, etc. This is the latest scam created by hackers call "Phishing".

Phishing occurs when a member receives an e-mail that warns of some problem with an account or promotes a special offer and directs you to a web site that appears to belong to a reputable company. The e-mail message will instruct you to click on a web link that sends you to a fake web site (that looks very similar to the company being impersonated). Where you are asked to provide sensitive information. The sensitive information you enter goes straight to the scam artists. Divulging this type of information can leave you at risk for identity theft.

A consortium of banks, credit unions, credit card companies and online retailers has established an anti-phishing web site, www.antiphishing.org. This web site contains information regarding Phishing, the types of e-mail subject lines phishers use and a form to report Phishing activity.

The following are tips on how to avoid being lured by these Phishing scammers:

1. If you receive an unexpected e-mail stating your account will be closed unless you confirm your billing information, DO NOT reply or click on any links that may be included in the e-mail.
2. Contact the company named in the e-mail to confirm if the information requested is legitimate. Companies do not ask customers to confirm personal information by sending an e-mail or on a pop-up menu.
3. Avoid e-mailing personal and financial information. Always check to be sure that the "lock" icon is on the browser's status bar. It means your information is secure during transmission.
4. Report suspicious activity to the FTC at www.ftc.gov. If you believe you have been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, then visit the FTC's identity Theft web site at www.ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your damage.