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 Beware of fraudulent emails, Phone Scams, etc...
Your Credit Union is constantly working to protect you and your accounts from these types of scams.
IMPORTANT SECURITY MESSAGE: CUNA, NCUA, Federal Financial Agencies, Countryside FCU, other financial institutions, credit card companies, the IRS, etc, do NOT use e-mail, text messaging, phone or any other way, as a means of communicating requests for sensitive personal information.
In General take these steps to protect your personal information: • Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them. • Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your monther's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. • Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house. Because what ID thieves don't know ,they can find out, and it can hurt you. Keep them guessing, and don't let them get to know you.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL DEBIT/ATM CARDHOLDERS
(Updated 3/10/10) Members of local credit unions and Non-Members may be receiving calls or text messages on their cell phone stating that "their ATM or debit card has been blocked and they cannot do any transactions unless they press 1 to reactivate their card or to call back on a toll free number". . .DO NOT DO THIS! Because if you press 1 or call back the toll free number, you would be asked to input your sixteen digit card number and your PIN - this is a scam to get your card numbers.
If you have received such a call and/or gave your card number by pressing 1 or calling back the toll free number, contact us immediately. During regular business hours Monday thru Friday, please call Countryside FCU at 315.445.2300 ext. 313. After hours please call 1-800-543-5073 to block your card.
Here is what is happening: When you get a call you may see that the call is coming from 1-843-884-6884, or you may see 347, 999-304 or some other unidentified number. The fraudster is spoofing that number which means he makes it look like the number that is calling you is a company. Actually they are calling from a different unknown number.
How did they get your cell number? They are doing something called "war dialing". The fraudster starts with a local area code and a local exchange and randomly generates the last four digits to create a phone number to call or text. Then they take the batch of phone numbers they have compiled and send out mass calls. This is called a major vishing scheme and is affecting other financial institutions both locally and nationwide. For example: people who do not even have a debit card are receiving these calls or you may receive a call identifying a financial institution you donÕt even do business with.
Note: Any call that asks you to input your PIN or card number is not a legitimate call. Countryside Credit Union will never ask you to input your card number and PIN via phone, text message or in an e-mail.
WARNING: GUARD YOUR FINANCIAL DATA
The "zuesbot" waits for a user to log in to online banking services, logs the credentials entered, and then offers a screen that asks the user to further verify their log in by entering their credit card data. Even if no credit card data is entered, damage may already be done and the online credentials may be compromised.
If you receive a screen asking you to enter credit card information after logging in to Internet Teller, please shut down your computer and notify the credit union immediately at 315.445.2300 or 800.219.2132.
Remember, your identity as an Internet Teller user is always verified ONLY by the user name and password you selected and the three authentication questions you selected.
Don't Let Your Guard Down and Get Hooked By Phishing - There's been an explosion in social networking. Great stuff and a great way to connect, but some of the cultural attitudes that go with it cause people to tend to let their guard down a little bit. Hackers and other people who want to phish will go where the people are, and those sites are where they’ll find them.
Phishing is accomplished by sending fraudulent e-mail messages to a user and falsely claiming to be a legitimate organization in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering confidential information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as the user's Social Security number, passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, etc. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user's information. Your credit union urges you to practice good security habits.
* Do not reply to an unsolicited e-mail. And, don't click on the link in the e-mail.
* Never disclose any personal or financial information by way of an unsolicited e-mail. This includes Social Security number, account numbers, credit card numbers, and Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).
* Don't e-mail personal or financial information. E-mail is not a secure method of transmitting personal or financial information.
* Only provide your ID and password when your browser shows a connection that is encrypted.
* If you have initiated a transaction and want to provide personal or financial information through an organization's Web site, look for indicators that show you that the site is secure - a lock icon in the browser's status bar and a URL for a Web site that begins "https:" (the "s" stands for secure).
If you receive an e-mail requesting personal and/or financial information and it appears to be from your credit union, do not reply. Call and let us know that you received an e-mail requesting such information. Remember, we do not ask for personal or financial information by e-mail.
Remember, don't let your guard down, be Internet savvy and don't get PHISHED.
The Secrets of Mystery Shopping Revealed
Do you love to shop? If so, you may be tempted by unsolicited emails or newspaper ads that claim you can earn a living as a secret or mystery shopper by dining at elegant restaurants, shopping at pricey stores, or checking into luxurious hotels. But, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, marketers who promise lucrative jobs as mystery shoppers often do not deliver bona fide opportunities. What is Mystery Shopping? Click here for the rest of the story.
New Phishing Scam: 'Vishing' - short for 'voice phishing' - Now that consumers are getting wise to phishing emails (attempts to get you to disclose your credit account numbers or other private information through email messages set up to look like they are sent from legitimate sources) the scammers have added a new twist. Instead of directing you to click on a link that takes you to a fake site where they expect you to enter your private information, they now direct you to call a special phone number. Once you call, an automated system asks you to verify your identity by punching in your credit card number. Of course, if you do that, you have just given the thieves open access to charge up your account.
Our advice remains the same. Countryside FCU will never contact you via e-mail or phone to ask for your account numbers. We already have your account numbers and information. If you ever have any doubts about the legitimacy of a phone call or e-mail, call our office at 315-445-2300 to double check before you give out any information.
However, if you initiate the call, we will ask for some identifying information before we disclose any information on your accounts. This also protects you from thieves who want to get easy access to your accounts.
TIPS: OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. If you're a victim of a phishing attempt and for more information, go to: http://www.antiphishing.org.
HELPFUL INFO IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FRAUD:
FakeChecks: Helping Consumers Avoid Scams
5 Tips for Protecting Your Checking Account
Keeping Yourself Safe: Tips to Combat Internet Scams
Protect Yourself From Internet Fraud
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