Online Scam: Phishing
Don't Get Hooked!
Phishing - pronounced "fishing" - is the latest form of identity theft. Thieves act as if they are representing a reputable organization (usually a financial institution) and try to "hook" you into providing personal information. Once you're "hooked," the thieves can do serious damage to your financial accounts. They can trick you into providing your Social Security number, financial account numbers, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), passwords, mother's maiden name, and other sensitive personal information.
The most common form of phishing is via e-mail. For instance, you could receive an e-mail that appears to be from a trusted financial institution, asking you to "reconfirm" your personal information. Unfortunately, this e-mail is from a phisher pretending to represent your financial institution, in hopes of gaining your confidential information.
Typically, the email contains a link to a Web site that looks exactly like the organization's site - but is actually a replica. You click onto the link and add your personal information in the spaces provided, which is delivered directly into the hands of identity thieves. It's important not to respond to such e-mails.
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Sample Phishing E-mail (actual e-mail received by an RCU employee): Dear <financial institution> customer, We recently reviewed your account, and suspect that your <financial institution> Internet Banking account may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party. Protecting the security of your account and of the <financial institution> network is our primary concern. Therefore, as a preventative measure, we have temporarily limited access to sensitive account features. To restore your account access, please take the following steps to ensure that your account has not been compromised:
To get started, please click the link below: WEB LINK: Web link will appear legitimate We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your assistance in helping us maintain the integrity of the entire system. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, |
Be aware of a potential scam if:
- Someone unexpectedly contacts you and asks for your personal information, such as your financial institution account number, an account password or PIN, mother's maiden name, credit card number or Social Security number. Any reputable financial institution would not contact you via e-mail or phone for such information.
- You are warned that your account has been or will be closed unless you "reconfirm" your financial information.
Redwood Credit Union is doing everything we can to counter this type of criminal activity. Your account protection is our top priority. If you receive an unsolicited e-mail or phone call that seems suspicious, and is allegedly from our organization, please do not reveal any personal or account information. Instead, please call us at (800) 479-7928 to verify that the request is legitimate.
