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07-23-08 PHONE FRAUD SCAM There is a Phone Scam that is targeting CFCU Members. Saying they are from our credit card secutiy team. The message is asking members to call a 515-***-**** number to activate their credit card. THIS IS NOT FROM COMMUNITY FIRST CREDIT UNION.
02-12-08 e-Mail Phising Scam. From: Community First Credit Union [mailto:eservice@communityfirstcu.org] Dear Community First Credit Union Customer,
12-17-07 e-Mail Phising Scam.
10-29-07 - e-Mail scam with fake phone number for CUNA. UPDATE OCTOBER 29th! CUNA is aware of a new phishing e-mail that is circulating. This e-mail requests consumers to call a phone number due to a compromise of a credit card account. You should not respond to this message. More Information on Internet Fraud
07-12-07 - e-Mail sca (the Fraudulent website has been scheduled to be taken down) IMPORTANT: Community First Credit Union will never ask for confidential information through email. 07-12-07 e-Mail scam (Phising Scam of Home Banking) If you recieve this email, delete it immediately! Contact us at 830-7200 if you have any questions. 06.19.2007 - e-Mail sca (the Fraudulent website has been scheduled to be taken down) From: Young [mailto:fa@communityfirstcu.org] Loan approval department is trying to contact you 06.14.2007 - IRS Warns Taxpayers of New E-mail Scams (IR-2007-109) Taxpayers are advised not to click on the links or open any attachments since they contain a Trojan horse virus that will allow another person access to their computer. Other scams involve e-mail sent to businesses and individuals stating that a complaint has been filed against them and the IRS can act as an arbitrator or e-mails advising taxpayers that they are being investigated by the IRS anti-fraud commission.
04.27.2007 - IRS Recalculate E-mail The e-mail uses the IRS logo, so it appears “official,” but the IRS NEVER corresponds via e-mail regarding any tax matter. This is a scam, and should be deleted. Attached is an April 2, 2007 news release from the IRS, detailing this and other scams, which provides more information. Follow the instructions in the document if you receive one of these fraudulent e-mails. From: Internal Revenue Service [mailto:service@irs.gov]
07.10.2006 - IRS Renews E-mail Alert Following New Scams WASHINGTON — Following a recent increase in scam e-mails, the Internal Revenue Service reminded taxpayers to be on the lookout for bogus e-mails claiming to be from the tax agency. The IRS saw an increase in complaints in recent weeks about these e-mails, which are designed to trick the recipients into disclosing personal and financial information that could be used to steal the recipients’ identity and financial assets. “The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails asking for personal information,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “Don’t be taken in by these criminals.” The IRS has seen a recent increase in these scams. Since November, 99 different scams have been identified, with 20 of those coming in June – the most since 40 were identified in March during the height of the filing season. Many of these schemes originate outside the United States. To date, investigations by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration have identified sites hosting more than two dozen IRS-related phishing scams. These scam Web sites have been located in many different countries, including Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and Slovakia, as well as the United States. The current scams claim to come from the IRS, tell recipients that they are due a federal tax refund, and direct them to a Web site that appears to be a genuine IRS site. The bogus sites contain forms or interactive Web pages similar to IRS forms or Web pages but which have been modified to request detailed personal and financial information from the e-mail recipients. In addition, e-mail addresses ending with “.edu” — involving users in the education community — currently seem to be heavily targeted. The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal information via e-mail. Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Tricking consumers into disclosing their personal and financial information, such as secret access data or credit card or bank account numbers, is fraudulent activity which can result in identity theft. Such schemes perpetrated through the Internet are called “phishing” for information. The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal 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 and even file fraudulent tax returns. When the IRS learns of new schemes involving use of the IRS name or logo, it issues consumer alerts warning taxpayers about the schemes. The IRS also has established an electronic mailbox for taxpayers to send information about suspicious e-mails they receive which claim to come from the IRS. Taxpayers should send the information to: phishing@irs.gov. More than 7,000 bogus emails have been forwarded to the IRS, with nearly 1,300 forwarded in June alone. The IRS’s mail box allows taxpayers to send copies of possibly fraudulent e-mails involving misuse of the IRS name and logo to the IRS for investigation. Instructions on how to properly submit one of these communications to the IRS may be found on this Web site. Enter the term "phishing" in the search box in the upper right hand corner. Then open the article titled “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails” and scroll through it until you find the instructions. Following these instructions helps ensure that the bogus e-mails relayed by taxpayers retain critical elements found in the original e-mail. The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the bogus e-mails to trace the hosting Web sites and alert authorities to help shut down these fraudulent sites. However, due to the volume the mailbox receives, the IRS cannot acknowledge receipt or reply to taxpayers who submit their bogus e-mails. The phishing@irs.gov mailbox is only for suspicious e-mails and not for general taxpayer contact or inquiries. For information on preventing or handling the aftermath of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html) and OnGuardOnLine (http://onguardonline.gov/index.html) Web sites. Click on "Topics" to find the identity theft and phishing areas on OnGuardOnLine. For information on identity theft prevention and victim assistance in relation to tax administration, visit the IRS Identity Theft Web page on the IRS.gov Web site. Enter the term "identity theft" in the search box in the upper right hand corner. For schemes other than phishing, please report the fraudulent misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property by calling the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-366-4484.
06.20.2006 - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS From: National Association of Federal Credit Unions Date: 06/19/06 16:47:50 To: undisclosed-recipients:, Subject: Federal / Credit Union Billing Center *** SECOND WARNING *** Dear Credit Union Member, We are currently trying to upgrade our on-line security measures. All accounts have been temporarily suspended until each person completes our secure online form. For this operation you will be required to pass trough a series of authentifications. As the Primary Contact, you must confirm the service(s) listed below! Service: National Association of Federal Credit Unions Online Banking To begin unlocking your account please click here. Please note: If we don't receive your account verification within 72 hours from you, we will further lock down your account until we will be able to contact you by e-mail or phone. ©2006, NAFCU. All rights reserved. NAFCU Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions 05.22.2006 - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently announced that data containing identifying information including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses, as well as some disability ratings has been stolen. See the official Veterans Affairs website for complete details www.va.gov 04.17.2006 - IRS ESTABLISHES E-MAIL BOX FOR TAXPAYERS TO REPORT PHONEY E-MAILS
WASHINGTON — The IRservice announced that it has established an electronic mailbox for taxpayers to send information about suspicious e-mails they receive which claim to come from the IRS. Taxpayers should send the information to: phishing@irs.gov. The IRS’s new mail box allows taxpayers to send copies of possibly fraudulent e-mails involving misuse of the IRS name and logo to the IRS for investigation. Instructions on how to properly submit one of these communications to the IRS may be found on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov. Enter the term phishing in the search box in the upper right hand corner. Then open the article titled “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails” and scroll through it until you find the instructions. Following these instructions helps ensure that the bogus e-mails relayed by taxpayers retain critical elements found in the original e-mail. The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the bogus e-mails to trace the hosting Web sites and alert authorities to help shut down these fraudulent sites. However, due to the volume the new mailbox is expected to receive, the IRS will not be able to acknowledge receipt or reply to taxpayers who submit their bogus e-mails. The phishing@irs.gov mailbox is only for suspicious e-mails and not for general taxpayer contact or inquiries. The IRS reminded taxpayers to be on the lookout for scam e-mails aimed at tricking the recipients into disclosing personal and financial information that could be used to steal the recipients’ identity and financial assets. “The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails asking for personal information,” said IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson. “Don’t be taken in by these criminals.” The IRS has seen a recent increase in these scams, many of which originate outside the United States. To date, investigations by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration have identified sites hosting more than two dozen IRS-related phishing scams. These scam Web sites have been located in at least 20 different countries, including Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and Slovakia, as well as the United States. The current scams claim to come from the IRS, tell recipients that they are due a federal tax refund, and direct them to a Web site that appears to be a genuine IRS site. The bogus sites contain forms or interactive Web pages similar to IRS forms or Web pages but which have been modified to request detailed personal and financial information from the e-mail recipients. In addition, e-mail addresses ending with “.edu” — involving users in the education community — currently seem to be heavily targeted. The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal information. Additionally, the IRS never asks people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts. Tricking consumers into disclosing their personal and financial information, such as secret access data or credit card or bank account numbers, is identity theft. Such schemes perpetrated through the Internet are called “phishing” for information. The information fraudulently obtained is then used to steal the taxpayer’s identity and financial assets. Typically, identity thieves use someone’s personal 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 and even file fraudulent tax returns. When the IRS learns of new schemes involving use of the IRS name or logo, it issues consumer alerts warning taxpayers about the schemes. For more information on phishing (suspicious e-mails) and identity theft, visit the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov. For information on preventing or handling the aftermath of identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Web sites at www.consumer.gov/idtheft and www.OnGuardOnline.gov (and click on Topics). For schemes other than phishing, please report the fraudulent misuse of the IRS name, logo, forms or other IRS property by calling the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-366-4484.
03.08.2006 - VISA SECURITY PROGRAM There are fraudulent e-mails circulating that claim to be from VISA. They are requesting that you register your VISA card for the Verified by Visa system. As with any phishing e-mail do not click on any link that may be imbedded in the e-mail, as the phishers are attempting to capture your personal data. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
Dear client, The VISA company informs you that in result of a failure in the Verified by Visa system, the sum of 414.95$ was taken from your card. If you haven’t made any purchases during the week, then please register in the Verified by Visa system so that the money can be recovered. This system fully protects you from unauthorized use of your card.
If you are already registered in the Verified by Visa system, then you have to register one more time to activate your account.
Follow the link to continue to the registration process. 11.04.2005 - LETTER MONEY SCAMS Someone has contacted you from another country and offered you millions of dollars. Sounds like a dream come true, but it is really a scam.
SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE FROM BARRISTER OGBUAGU PARKINGS
10.24.2005 - CONFIRM YOUR CREDIT UNION CREDIT/DEBIT CARD INFO PHISHING SCAM There are fraudulent e-mails circulating that claim to be from your credit union requesting that you complete personal information to restore your account access. As with any phishing e-mail do not click on any link that may be imbedded in the e-mail, as the phishers are attempting to capture your personal data. Community First Credit Union will never ask for confidential information through e-mail. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE From: Credit Union National Association [mailto:confirm@cuna.org]
Credit Union is constantly working to ensure security by regularly
screening the accounts in our system. We recently reviewed your account,
and we need more information to help us provide you with secure service.
* We would like to ensure that your account was not accessed by an
unauthorized third party. Because protecting the security of your
account is our primary concern, we have limited access to sensitive
Credit Union account features. We understand that this may be an
inconvenience but please understand that this temporary limitation is
for your protection.
10.20.2005 - COMMUNITY FIRST CU PHISHING SCAM There are fraudulent e-mails circulating that claim to be from Community First Credit Union. As with any phishing e-mail do not click on any link that may be imbedded in the e-mail, as the phishers are attempting to capture personal data. Community First Credit Union will never ask for confidential information through e-mail. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
Dear Communityfirstcu Member,
10.20.2005 - PAYPAL FRAUD PROTECTION PHISHING SCAM There are fraudulent emails circulating that claim to be from PayPal. As with any phishing e-mail do not click on any link that may be imbedded in the e-mail, as the phishers are attempting to capture personal data. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
From: fraudprotection@paypal.com [mailto:fraudprotection@paypal.com]
10.20.2005 - eBAY ACCOUNT SUSPENDED SCAM There are fraudulent emails circulating that claim to be from eBay. As with any phishing e-mail do not click on any link that may be imbedded in the e-mail, as the phishers are attempting to capture personal data. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
From: Safeharbor Department [mailto:suspension@ebay.com]
Dear eBay user: 10.04.2005 - LOTTERY PHISHING SCAM There are currently fraudulent emails circulating that claim the recipient has won the lottery sweepstakes. They ask for personal information such as a social security number and an account number to deposit the lottery winnings into. This information will then be used to gain access their accounts. The lure of easy money generally entices people to take the bait. This is a hoax and should not be taken seriously. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
LOTTERY WINNING NOTIFICATION/ FINAL NOTICE EMAIL LOTTERY SWEEPSTAKES (ACCREDITED LICENSED AGENT TO FAMOUS CULTURE LOTTERY) Ref. Number: 262/415/7673 Batch Number: 1352-8884-AF 11 Sir/Madam We are pleased to inform you about the result of the Lottery Winners International programs held on the 20th of September 2005. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 107613205- with serial number 180-214-730 drew lucky numbers 7-22-18-23-11-44, which consequently won in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$ 1,000,000.00 (One Million United States Dollars) CONGRATULATIONS!!!
10.04.2005 - MULTIPLE PASSWORD FAILURE PHISHING SCAM There are currently fraudulent emails circulating that appear to be from Fox Communities Credit Union, Appleton WI and BayBank HomeTown Bank, Michigan. These emails are asking for personal account information. Please delete these emails, as there are fraudulent and a "phishing" scam. No legitimate financial institution will ever send emails requesting your credit union user name, password, PIN or other personal identity information. If you have received such a request and responded to it, please contact your financial institution immediately so that appropriate steps can be taken to protect your accounts. SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE Subject: Fox Communities Credit Union Bank Online Multiple Password Failure Fox Communities Credit Union Bank is devoted to keeping a safe environment for its community of consumers and producers. To guarantee the safety of your account, Fox Communities Credit Union Bank deploys some of the most advanced security measures in the world and our anti-fraud units regularly screen the Fox Communities Credit Union Bank database for suspicious activity. 09.30.2005 - NCUA PHISHING SCAM Recently, there have been multiple e-mail fraud attempts, known as "Phishing”, that were initiated via e-mail sent to both the general public and to some credit union members that appeared to be from NCUA. This false e-mail asked for the recipient to click on a link to verify their credit union account registration. If the recipient proceeded to do so, the link directed them to a false website and asked for their credit union account number and PIN, along with other personal information. NCUA does not ask credit union members for such personal information. Anyone who receives an e-mail that purports to be from NCUA and asks for account information should consider it to be a fraudulent attempt to obtain their personal account data for an illegal purpose and should not follow the instructions in the e-mail. If you feel that you have received a fraudulent phishing e-mail purportedly from NCUA please forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov SEE THE BELOW EXAMPLE
09.14.2005 - LETTER MONEY SCAMS Someone has contacted you from another country and offered you millions of dollars. All you have to do is provide them with information on your bank account and they will transfer money or other riches to you for safekeeping. Sounds like a dream come true, but it is really a scam.
Below is one such example. Subject: PRAISE ALLAH, THE MOST BENEVOLENT
FROM : MRS ASHIA HASSAN
PRAISE ALLAH, THE MOST BENEVOLENTa
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Late herina bana of blessed memory who worked with Kuwait embassy in Sudan for nine years before he died in the year 2000. We were married for eleven years without a child.He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both very devoted muslims.
Since his death I too have been battling with both cancer and fibroid problems.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $20 Million (Twenty Million U.S. Dollars) with an oversea private security and holding firm . Presently, this money is still with the private security and holding firm in Malaysia ,Asia. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to either a moslem organisation or devoted muslim individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here- in. I want this muslim organisation or individual to use this money in all sincererity to fund mosques, orphanages,widows and also propagating the word of ALLAH and to ensure that the society upholds the views and beliefs of the holy Quran. The holy Quran emphasized so much on ALLAH'S benevolence and this has encouraged me to take this bold I took this decision because I don¡¦t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are new Christians converts and I don¡¦t want my husband¡¦s hard earned money to be misused by people I call unbelievers. I don¡¦t want a situation where this money will be used in an unholy manner. Hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I know that after death I will be with ALLAH the most beneficient and the most merciful. I don¡¦t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and the presence of my husband¡¦s relatives around me always. I don¡¦t want them to know about this development. With ALLAH all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Security Company. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the original- beneficiary of this fund. I want you and the Muslim community where you reside to always pray for me. My happiness is that I lived a life of a true devoted muslim worthy of emulation. Whoever that wants to serve the ALLAH must serve him in truth and in fairness. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing For a muslim organisation or a devoted muslim for this same purpose. Until I hear from you, my dreams will rest squarely on your shoulders. May the almighty ALLAH continue to guide and protect you. Reply me through this email address,aisha_hassan2000@yahoo.com Regards, MRS AISHA HASSAN
06.23.2005 - MASTERCARD AND VISA FRAUD ALERT! At Community First Credit Union we have the security of your financial information as our highest priority. As you use your credit or debit card in the marketplace, however, unfortunately not all merchants and vendors maintain that same level of security. We have just been notified of a major security breach impacting the credit and debit card industry. MasterCard and Visa have reported that more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers were exposed to an intruder who gained access to the information through a card transaction processing company for merchants. The FBI and an interagency of federal banking regulators is engaged in an investigation into the incident. The perpetrators were able to capture credit/debit card numbers. They do not have other personal/identity related information such as name, social security numbers, etc. We are closely monitoring this situation and your accounts. We will notify you by mail within the next few days if your credit or debit card has been affected. Please review your credit card and credit union statements closely and notify us immediately if you find any unauthorized transactions or activity. As a reminder, you are fully protected against any unauthorized transactions. We would also like to remind our members that there are many email scams that arise as a result of this type of situation. Opportunitistic fraudsters hoping to use fear about the recent data theft, will send an email asking you to provide your credit or debit card numbers and PIN to verify whether your cards have been impacted. DO NOT PROVIDE card, account, social security, PIN or other personal information via email. Be very careful about providing this type of information over the telephone, unless you initiated the call and are certain you are talking to your financial institution. Community First will never ask for account or other identifying information via email! Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We will continue to update members as additional information becomes available.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM E-MAIL SCAMS: Identity Theft and Internet Fraud are a common issue today. Chances are, at some point you will be subjected to some sort of a "phishing" scam. Phishing uses 'spoofed' e-mails and fraudulent web sites designed to fool you into divulging personal and financial data such as credit card numbers, account numbers, user IDs and passwords, social security numbers, etc. |
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Head, Union Chamber law firm
