Scammers Use CUNA’s Name to Carry Out Phishing Scam

The trade association for credit unions in the US, CUNA (Credit Union National Association), has issued a fraud alert for a new phishing scheme that allegedly uses the name to cheat the users and to glean personal information from members of credit union.

An unauthentic mail appears carrying headline "CUNA alert" and directs the user to call on a toll free number due to irregular activity on their check card. The directions in the mail ask the cardholder to call on a toll free number to get their card reactivated. The fake e-mail asks the consumers for account numbers, password and credit card numbers and assures that their account will be reviewed and for safety purpose, all restriction will be removed from their accounts.

In the past few weeks, CUNA has become the prime focus of ten Internet phishing scams, where the hackers put the mask of CUNA and send innumerous e-mails. Further, CUNA cautions the users and suggest that they should not attend any phone or e-mail of such types. CUNA also added that they're a trade union and hence, don't store or gather any personal details on the members of credit union, cardholders, or account numbers that are with credit unions.

Another recent scam masquerades as a CUNA customer survey asks for credit card information. Stress is laid upon the fact that no bank or credit union demands for credit or check card numbers. Further, CUNA is a national association and does not believe in registering credit cards or check cards.

CUNA Vice President of web services, Dorothy Steffens, informed that the association is prone to almost 100 Web attacks per year, as per the news by Winconsin State Journal on November 1, 2007. Steffens also said that the scams were successful in victimizing a few users and even people who are not the members of CUNA sometimes respond to these mails and divulge their private data.

Steffens claimed that she has informed about the phishing scam to FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the FBI so that they can disable the phone numbers.

As per CUNA, last year, 52 Million US Internet users receive these kinds of fake mails. But the most surprising fact is that almost 1.2 Million consumers revealed their data to them. Naturally, around 1 Million consumers suffers huge loses through e-mail phishing scams.

Related article: Scammers Exploit Tax System Resulting in ID Theft

» SPAMfighter News - 11/19/2007