Scam Updates

NEW SCAM ALERT - UPDATED 6/25/08 - "SMISHING"

‘Smishing” Scam Targets Credit Unions via Text Messaging

Fraudsters are now sending text messages to Credit Union and other financial institution members' wireless devices to lure them into giving personal information. Because wireless devices use SMS, a communications protocol, to send text messages, this is called "Smishing."

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Fiserv EFT recently learned of a phishing scam that has resulted in confirmed fraud. The reported cases have involved a fraudulent email that appeared to be sent from the cardholder’s financial institution that instructs the recipient to complete a survey to receive $50.00.

Upon completing the survey, a transaction, typically exceeding $1,000.00, was submitted from
WESTERN UNION.COM to the cardholder’s account. The initial transaction was denied; however, a subsequent attempt typically ranging from $200.00 to $800.00 was approved. In addition, the criminals may have other personal information about the cardholders and have fraudulently enrolled them in Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode, as evidenced by $1.00 authorization transactions.

We recommend that you review your daily activity reports for any unusual activity, including Western Union internet-based transactions. If fraud is suspected, please take any appropriate action to protect your cardholders. Most importantly, advise your cardholders to review card activity and report any suspected fraud to you. Be sure to remind your cardholders to never reply to emails requesting their financial information.

Should additional information become available, we will provide you with updates. If you have questions, please call 1-800-888-0085 and ask for Risk Management.

For additional identity theft preventions tips, you may wish to visit the following websites:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/security/protect_yourself/id_theft/theft_prevention.html
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

If you have questions, please contact Risk Management at EFT_investigations@fiserv.com.

Other Scams to be aware of:

Jury Duty Scam:
Visa USA has advised us of a new identity theft operation, which uses a tactic known as “Jury Duty Scam.” The scam involves a fraudster who poses as a local court official and contacts victims by telephone.

The fraudster informs the victim that they failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for their arrest for failure to appear. Then, they will ask the victim for personal information, such as a Social Security Number, date of birth for verification, and/or credit card, bank account information to pay the alleged fines.

Consumers should be advised not to provide any personal information over the phone as court personnel, government agencies and legitimate businesses would not ask for sensitive, personal or financial information over the phone.

NCUA Scam

The National Credit Union Association will NEVER e-mail a member and ask for your account information. A series of e-mails are flying around right now, trying to solicit private information from members. THIS IS A SCAM.

Additionally, VISA will NEVER ask for any personal information via an e-mail.