Dear Visa Card user,

In addition to our other ways of preventing, detecting, and
resolving fraud, we offer Verified by Visa, a free, simple-to-use
and free service that confirms your identity with an extra
password when you make an online transaction.

Since June 19 2009 we require all our customers to enroll their
visa cards in the Verified by Visa program. If you do not do so
you will not be able to shop online with your visa card.

This is a reminder to activate the Verified by Visa feature for
your card as soon as possible.

Please download the form attached to this email and open it in a
web browser. Once opened, you will be provided with steps to
activate the Verified by Visa feature.

We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please
understand that this is a security measure intended to help
protect you. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Visa Inc.

Delete the email and do not respond.  If you did provide your information contact our Card Services department immediately at 676-1168 ex 7360.

Do not give personal information out over the phone unless you have initiated the call.  If you are concerned if a call is legitimate, ask for the name of the company, hang up, look the number up yourself online or in the phonebook and call back.

Keep in mind that if your credit card company is calling to reduce your interest rate they should already have your card number and information on file.

Do not give out your personal credit union/bank account information for business purposes. If you do or have given out your information please contact WECU immediately at 676.1168 to prevent fraud from happening on your account.

We have received reports that members have been sent text messages about 'account security' asking them to reply via email or phone where they are then asked to enter thier card and PIN number.

Members have been receiving automated phone calls asking them to return a call to either Northcoast or BECU's fraud line.  When they call the number left on the message they are asked to enter their full card number and PIN and then warned about email hackers and account security.

Recently, we have received calls from members contacted by a caller with a foreign number and a Jamaican accent. The caller states that you have been awarded and begins asking for account information to wire the money. There have also been reports that the caller has harassed people over the phone who were hesitant to give out information, even going so far as to call back and make specific threats. This is a phone variant of a much more common lottery scam that usually takes place via email or mail. 

Keep in mind; if you win money from a lottery you have never entered you are being scammed!

A spam e-mail claiming to be from former CBP Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski is currently being circulated. This attempt to defraud is the typical e-mail scam using the name and reputation of a federal government official to create an air of authenticity.

The spam e-mail indicates the CBP has stopped a Diplomat who is carrying a consignment to be delivered to the recipient’s residence. This consignment allegedly contains millions of dollars, which is revealed to be an inheritance for the e-mail recipient.

As with many other scams, this e-mail advises the recipient they will be permitted to access this inheritance once the recipient has given the sender of the e-mail their personal information.

This e-mail is a hoax. Do not respond.

The U.S. CBP does not send unsolicited e-mails. Consumers should not respond to unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their personally identifiable information (PII). Examples of a person’s PII include, but are not limited to: date of birth; social security number; and bank account numbers. Providing your PII will compromise your identity.

If you have received this e-mail, or a similar e-mail, please file a complaint here.

United Nations Foundation
1800 Massachusetts Avenue,
NW, Suite 400
Washington,
D.C. 20036
 
Monday April 20th, 2009
 
 
Attention:
 
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
 
The United Nations Foundation (UNF), would like to notify you that you have been chosen by the Board of Trustees as one of the final recipients of £3,000,000.00 (Three million British Pounds) for your personal, business,or educational use.
 
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic
$1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements
public-private partnerships to address The world's most pressing problems, and broadens support for the UN through advocacy And public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity and winners are selected Without any criteria.
 
You are required to contact the Finance Officer below for qualification documentation And processing of your claims. After contacting our office with the requested data, you will Be given your donation pin
number, which you will use in collecting the funds.  

Please endeavor to quote your Qualification numbers (UNF-03945-UNOG) and Amount Won in all discussions. 

Contact European Finance Officer and have your instant payment through free online banking system.
 
Dr. George Wakefield
un.ref1@sify.com
 
 
Sincerely Yours
R. E. Turner,
 
Chairman of the Board
© 2009 UN Foundation, All Rights Reserved

04/07/09—The IC3 has been alerted to the circulation of a fraudulent e-mail, purportedly from The Oprah Winfrey Show, notifying recipients of their nomination for the “Oprah Millionaire Contest Show.” To participate, recipients are requested to mail their contact information such as full name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address; however, no mailing address was provided. Verified contestants are then required to purchase airfare and a ticket to attend The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as complete a forthcoming contest form containing personal questions. The contestants are then promised a seat for The Oprah Winfrey Show in April and asked to provide their responses to the personal questions for a chance to win a million dollars.

Consumers always need to be alert to unsolicited e-mails. Do not open unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or malware. Providing your personally identifiable information will compromise your identity!

Individuals who receive such e-mails are encouraged to file a complaint here. 

WECU has received notice of a large card compromise on our credit and debit cards at a 3rd party processor named Heartland Payment Systems.

No information stored at WECU or WECU systems were hacked into.  The numbers involved in the compromise were stolen when Heartland (a company that processes card transactions for a large number of vendors and merchants) was hacked into.

Heartland is not a vendor of WECU or associated with WECU in any way, rather they process credit card and debit card transactions for merchants that you may do business with. 

Heartland Payment Systems is one of the nation’s largest third party card processors.  When Heartland was hacked into the resulting information compromise left over 100 million card numbers across the nation vulnerable. If your card was part of the recent Heartland compromise, this means that your card information was stolen from their system as they were processing transactions for their merchant clients.

When you use your debit or credit card at a merchant location, such as a clothing store or restaurant, the business often uses a third party processor to transmit your card number. You have probably noticed that your card is swiped through a small machine. This is the device that transmits your card number to the processor, who in turn processes the transaction so the business can receive money for your purchase.

If your card was affected, you will receive a mailer explaining what has happened and a new card.  WECU employees are diligently working to protect our members but we have had over 18,000 card numbers affected by this compromise and appreciate your patience.

Please contact WECU if you regularly use your card in Canada or other foreign countries or have upcoming travel plans.

For more information contact WECU's Card Services Department at 676.1168 ext.7360

The FTC says the number of complaints about this type of scam is on the rise. In some cases, the scammers know the names of family members and manage a deft impersonation. In others, they trick a grandparent into giving up a grandchild’s name. The callers often claim to be in Canada and ask that the money be wired there. Sometimes, a third person gets in the act, pretending to be a police officer or bondsman to confirm the bogus story.

Regardless of the particulars, a grandparent’s love and concern often can outweigh their usual skepticism. In fact, say fraud fighters at the FTC, that’s what the bad guys are banking on.

At first the pone call seems like an ordinary phone call from your grandchild.  It may be — at least until the caller claims that he needs cash to fix a car, get out of jail, or leave a foreign country. He or she begs you to wire money right away and to keep the request confidential. Victims of this scam often don’t realize they’ve made a mistake until days later, when they speak to their grandchild and he knows nothing about the phone call. By then, the money the grandparent wired is not only long gone, but also irretrievable. Scammers usually pressure people to wire money through commercial money transfer companies like Western Union and Money Gram because wiring money is the same as sending cash. The chances of recovery are slim to none.

If you can’t reach a family member and still aren’t sure what to do, call your local police on the non-emergency line. They can help you sort things out.

No matter how dramatic the story, don’t wire money. Don’t send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier, either. Con artists recommend these services so they can get your money before you realize you’ve been cheated.

Report possible fraud at ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.

We are currently receiving calls regarding a telephone phishing scam. WECU members and local non-members have been receiving the fraudulent calls. The incident began with random calls and/or text messages stating that “your WECU debit or credit card has limited access and/or your account has been locked due to suspicious fraud activity.”  The cardholder was then instructed to call a phone number and provide their card number, PIN, and expiration date. 

Do not give out your card or personal information on the phone. 

While we may ask for your account number if you have initiated the call to us using one of our listed contact numbers we would not call you seeking card information we already have.  WECU already has your information on file and would not need to confirm your card number or expiration and we will never ask for your PIN.  If you have responded please contact WECU's Card Services Department at 676.1168 ex 7360 to have your card blocked.

Your card has been deactivated

For your security, we have disabled your card and PIN.

To activate your card and PIN please call our "Card Activation Line" at 1-800-494-3963

If you have any questions, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-494-3963.  Please do not reply to this email.

Sincerly,

CUNA Card Activation Customer Service

Do not give your card information, expiration date or PIN to anyone who contacts you via telephone, Internet, or mail. Valid financial institutions will not contact you to verify information that they already have (your card number) of that they should not have on record (your PIN). 

This phishing scheme involves a fraudulent email request for sensitive information from American Express.

Dear American Express Card holder:
As part of the new security measures, all American Express Card holders are required to complete American Express Customer Form. Please complete the form as soon as possible. To access the form please click on the following link (now disabled)
Thank you for using your American Express Card.
Sincerely,
American Express Customer Service

Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to be an "official order" from the FBI's Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI unit in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification, all informing recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars. To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient's name, banking information, telephone number, and a copy of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution.

Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.

The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI Executives are briefed on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, the IC3 does not send threatening letters to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their PII. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Under this scam, a telephone call is placed to a legitimate cardholder.  The caller claims to be a representative from VISA or MasterCard informing the cardholder of suspicious card activity. The caller provides details of an unusual transaction and asks if the cardholder made this purchase, which, of course, the cardholder did not. The cardholder is then asked to verify possession of the card. To do so, the cardholder is asked to read the three-digit security code on the back of the card. The fraudster then provides a control number in the event the cardholder needs to call back with questions, making the call seem legitimate.

The caller does not ask for the credit or debit card number, and that is why some members are fooled into believing the call is legitimate. But the fraudster already has the card number; what they don’t have is the three-digit security code from the back of the card, and that is what they are after with this scam.

The three-digit code on the back of the Visa or MasterCard card is a security tool used for non face-to-face transactions. When conducting transactions that are not face-to-face, many merchants will ask the shopper for the three-digit code to complete a card authorization. If the criminal obtains this three-digit number and already has your card number, card expiration date, and billing address, the criminal may be able to obtain authorization for fraudulent transactions.

Multiple CO-OP member credit unions have recently reported a phishing scam they are experiencing. 

This fraudulent attempt to capture card numbers is done with an automated text message which claims to be from CO-OP Services Credit Union Customer Services Department and uses a four digit phone number of 3693.

The text message indicates that the member’s credit or debit card has had unusual activity. In order to restore account access, the message asks the member to call 813.600.1551 and enter their 16-digit credit or debit card number along with three additional pieces of information from their account.

CO-OP Financial Services would never refer to themselves as CO-OP Services Credit Union Customer Services Department, and would not send text messages to cardholders about their accounts.  

Delete the text without sending a response.  WECU would not contact you via text message for information regarding your debit or credit card. 

There are so many ways for perpetrators to attempt to get personal information, including the use of auto-dialers and text messages. It is important to limit the release of personal information in order to protect yourself from fraud.

As with many scams, the e-mail advises the recipient that they are the beneficiary of a large sum of money which they will be permitted to access once fees are paid and personal banking information is provided. The appearance of the e-mail leads the reader to believe that it is from FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole.

This e-mail is a hoax. Do not respond. 

These fraud schemes claim to be from domestic as well as international FBI offices. The typical types of schemes utilizing the names of FBI officials and/or the FBI are lottery endorsements and inheritance notifications but can cover a range of scams from threats and malicious computer program attachments (malware) to online auction scams.

These scams use the social engineering technique of employing the FBI's name to intimidate and convince the recipient the e-mail is legitimate.

Please be cautious of any unsolicited e-mail referencing the FBI, Director Mueller, Deputy Director Pistole or any other FBI official claiming that the FBI is endorsing any type of Internet activity.

Always be cautious when responding to requests or special offers delivered through unsolicited e-mail:

• Guard your personal information as well as your account information carefully.
• You should never give any personal, credit, or banking information in response to unsolicited e-mails.

Consumers always need to be alert to unsolicited e-mails. Do not open unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or malware. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have received this e-mail, or a similar e-mail, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

On October 4th and 5th, members received calls on their cell phones as a part of a phishing scam.  The caller stated that their Debit cards had been deactivated and to press 1 to reactivate.  They were then instructed to enter their card number information and PIN number. This is a scam! WECU would never contact members and request their card information or PIN number. 

In this e-mail scam, the sender claims to be a representative of the CO-OP Network asking for cardholder information.  The email is fraudulent; CO-OP Network never contacts credit union members directly and never requests personal account information. The email should be considered a deceitful attempt to obtain cardholder information with the intent of committing fraudulent activity against your accounts.

Don't fall for economic stimulus scam

MADISON, Wis. (6/11/08)--Be on the lookout for an e-mail from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) encouraging you to submit a form to make sure you get your economic stimulus check. Why? The e-mail is not from the IRS, and if you click on the link, it's likely you'll be the victim of a scam, according to the Credit Union National Association's (CUNA's) center for personal finance.

Susan Tiffany, CUNA's director of adult education, warns recipients to report the crime and then hit the delete key. "It's a very convincing-looking scam that's sure to trip up many folks who fear missing out on their stimulus check," says Tiffany.

The e-mail Tiffany received urges the reader to click on a link in the e-mail, fill out a form, and submit the form before June 10 for a speedy refund. The end of the message acknowledges that you may have received the e-mail in your spam folder "because of the large amount of e-mails we are sending out or because of the restrictions implemented by your ISP (Internet service provider)."

Don't fall for that line, either. The message is a ploy to redirect you to the crook's website to capture your personal information and commit fraud.

The IRS cautioned taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams involving proposed advance payment checks. Although the government has not yet enacted an economic stimulus package in which the IRS would provide advance payments, known informally as rebates to many Americans, a scam which uses the proposed rebates as bait has already cropped up.

The goal of the scams is to trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.

Typically, identity thieves use a victim’s personal and financial data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes. Most of these fraudulent activities can be committed electronically from a remote location, including overseas. Committing these activities in cyberspace allows scamsters to act quickly and cover their tracks before the victim becomes aware of the theft.

People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years — and their hard-earned money — cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their reputations and credit records. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, may be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

 For more information, visit http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=178061,00.html.

Anyone wishing to access the IRS Web site should initiate contact by typing the IRS.gov address into their Internet address window, rather than clicking on a link in an e-mail or opening an attachment.

Those who have received a questionable e-mail claiming to come from the IRS may forward it to a mailbox the IRS has established to receive such e-mails, phishing@irs.gov, using instructions contained in an article titled “