CUNA Cautions Consumers Against Phishing Fraud

CUNA (Credit Union National Association) is cautioning consumers to protect their financial data following a rise in phishing scams that are spoofing credit unions and local banks.

CUNA is a national credit union trade association and it works with various financial institutions like CIA and Secret Service, and the FBI to fight identity theft and financial fraud.

According to Dorothy Steffens, Vice President of Web Services, CUNA, phishing is an event that happens in valleys and peaks across the nation, but it does not stop. There are times when phishing rises very high, such as tax season when fraudulent e-mails come in abundance to trick people into clicking on a link, as reported by uticaod on September 7, 2008.

In the current phishing incident, the fraudulent message takes recipients to the phisher's spoofed site where personal information is sought. While no message is sent by CUNA, the scam leads people onto a site that has stolen graphics of the union and constantly sends spam mails to various IDs.

The fake e-mail says that the recipient must e-mail or fax updated personal details comprising passport and bank account info to get any claim he or she might be entitled to.

Also, the message asks the recipient to call at a given phone number, which in reality is an Internet number, Steffens said.

The association further states that the scams begin when people particularly college students come back from vacations and use their debit/credit cards frequently. Moreover, e-mail scams purporting to originate from universities and similar legitimate sources like credit unions have been circulating for nearly four years and the bad guys have shifted from e-mail to voice-mail phishing. The fake e-mails warn that the reader's e-mail account would be deactivated unless the required information is provided on a particular Website.

Nevertheless, the association states that it follows the well-established practices for handling such information and it wants that the public remains aware of these e-mails that the association did not send. Also, it urges people to be vigilant in defending personal information.

Related article: China’s Best Initiatives To Deal With Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 9/19/2008