Scam Alerts

Credit Unions in the mid-west have been hit with scam telephone calls telling them their charge cards had been de-activated via an electronic message with a male voice directing them to call 515-414-2686. Once on the phone line, of course, they were solicited for their card numbers, pin numbers and other information. You should never give personal information such as pin numbers over the phone, email, etc. to anyone.

CUNA is aware of the recent data breach at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and is taking proactive steps to address the situation. The Customer Security Team at CUNA is currently gathering information regarding the data breach and will react swiftly in the best interests of its customers, including the re-issue of compromised cards if necessary.

It is important to note that CUNA has effective fraud monitoring systems in place and is constantly reviewing our accounts for fraudulent and/or suspicious activity. The security of your account is very important to us.

Moving forward, we recommend that all CUNA customers review their account activity on an ongoing basis and report to us any suspicious activity. In addition, it is recommended that customers activate "Enhanced Card Security" to block

Please call Customer Care at 1-800-794-9672, to activate (Enhanced Card Security) for your debit or credit card.

Due to the extensive news coverage of this event, there have been reports of other scams. If you receive a phone call or email from someone claiming to be from Visa, or MasterCard DO NOT provide them with any personal or account information Please visit http://www.nophishing.org/ for further information regarding fraud.

Finally, you may continue to use your debit card. Customers who have been affected by the data breach will be notified, and be given further instructions via postal mail. If you have immediate questions regarding your account, please contact Customer Care at 1-800-794-9672, option 1.

Identity Theft Victim Checklist

* Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, ask for a free copy of your credit report, and review those reports for evidence of accounts you didn't open. Fraud unit contacts are:

* Close accounts--including share drafts/checks or ATM cards--that have been tampered with or used fraudulently. Contact all financial institutions and lenders, credit card issuers, utility companies, and the Social Security Administration to notify them of the fraud. Follow up each conversation with a letter.

* File a report with law enforcement and insist on getting a copy of the report or the report number.

* File a complaint with the FTC. Visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ for more information or call 877-IDTHEFT.

Attention CUNA Internet email Fraud Alert
The Credit Union National Association is the trade association for credit unions in the US. CUNA does not maintain any type of customer/member financial information. Additionally, your financial institution would never request personal identification information over the phone via an e-mail solicitation. If you did respond to this e-mail, you should contact your financial institution directly using the local phone number provided by your financial institution. http://www.creditunion.coop/

Below you will find an example of what an email might read:

Hello,
For your security we deactivated your card account, to reactivate your card you must follow the reactivation steps. Call us immediately at 425.998.1128 and we will review the activity on your account with you and upon verification, we will remove any restrictions placed on your account.

Please disregard this notice if you have already spoken with one of our representatives. Please do not reply to this message. Replies to this message are routed to an unmonitored mailbox.

Copyright C 2007- Credit Union National Association, Inc

Call Forwarding Phishing Scheme
A new phishing scheme that uses a "call forwarding" component enables phishers to portray themselves as the victim when a financial institution calls to verify a bank transaction. The phishing scheme asks the financial institution's member/customers, via e-mail, to verify their phone number immediately with the financial institution. If they do not confirm their phone number, their account will be suspended.

· Step 3: Your phone is confirmed. You will receive a call from us in one hour for final verification. If you have confirmed your phone, you can continue the update process.

By inputting these numbers, victims actually forward their calls to the phisher's redirect number. This will go on until the victims notice they aren't getting any verification calls.

Victims may also get a call from the phisher or an answering machine posing as their financial institution to query any transaction in that period. After they confirm the phone number, the caller asks them to update their personal information, including Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers.

Scam Combines Counterfeit Credit Union Checks with Secret Shopping
A variant of secret shopper and counterfeit check scams is showing up in several parts of the country. Capitalizing on the popularity of "mystery shopping," in which consumers are recruited to monitor the performance of retail businesses, scammers are making withdrawals from victims’ bank/credit union accounts. Secret Shoppers send the member a package by FedEx asking him/her to do a secret shopping assignment. The assignment was to cash a cashier's check and then send a Money Gram from the local Wal-Mart. The member thought he was monitoring Money Gram's performance, but the scammer, using the name "Secret Shoppers," sent a counterfeit check. The member had wired his own money, about $3,000 to the scammer. (CUNA Mutual Group Risk Alert 5/2/2006)

Don't Get Lured In by Phishing Scamsters
Hundreds of consumers have found themselves the victims of an e-mail scam known as "phishing." It involves high-tech fraudsters who pretend to be a legitimate financial institution or credit card company. Hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, the fraudsters send out "official-looking" e-mails designed to trick consumers into divulging financial and personal information such as account numbers, passwords, user names, Social Security Numbers, and other sensitive data. In most cases, the e-mail claims there is an account problem or warns of a possible account fraud threat. Either way - the whole idea is to convince the consumer there is an immediate need to update their financial information.

If you receive an e-mail from Rocky Mountain Credit Union requesting financial information or any other personal or sensitive data:

Lock Out Potential Identity Thieves With a Security Freeze
Would you like to ‘lock up’ your credit information so no one can access it without your permission? Beginning July 1, 2007, Montanans can put a ‘security freeze’ on their credit files, which means those files cannot be shared with potential creditors.

A security freeze is one of the most effective ways to prevent identity theft. It helps prevent a thief from falsely using someone else’s identity to take out a new mortgage, apply for a credit card or get financing. The freeze is easily lifted if consumers plan to make a major purchase, open a new credit card or take out a loan. A security freeze will not lower your credit score or prevent you from getting your own credit report. To place a security freeze on your credit files, you must write separate letters to each of the three credit bureaus and provide identifying information including—at a minimum—your name, address and Social Security number. For married couples, both spouses must request the freeze via separate request letters.

Placing a security freeze on your credit files costs $3 per person, for a total of $9 to freeze your files with all three credit bureaus. There is no freeze fee for identity theft victims who have filed a police report of identity theft. To have a freeze temporarily lifted also costs $3 per credit bureau, but there is no fee to permanently remove it. When a file is protected by a security freeze, a creditor who requests that file will get a message or a code indicating that the file is frozen. However, certain entities can still access your credit files, such as existing creditors, collection agencies acting on your behalf, or some government agencies.

For more information about the new Montana Security Freeze, go to http://www.doj.mt.gov/consumer/consumer/securityfreeze.asp. If you have questions or concerns about using a security freeze, contact the Montana Office of Consumer Protection at (800) 481-6896 or visit their website at www.doj.mt.gov/consumer/.

Credit Bureau Contact Information:
Equifax Security Freeze—P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348 (800) 525-6285
Experian Security Freeze—P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 (888) 397-3742
TransUnion Security Freeze—P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 (800) 680-7289

Are you concerned about Identity Theft?
Sponsored by TransUnion, www.truecredit.com is a great way to monitor your credit.