RISK ALERT - Beaver Valley FCU

Please check back occasionally. We will update this page with the latest information as it becomes available to us.

Click here to learn how to guard against e-mail and internet fraud.

Click here to learn how to recognize and prevent identity theft crimes.

IRS Reports Economic Stimulus Scams

As the economic stimulus checks start going out, the IRS has issued an alert that scam artists are actively making the rounds using the proposed rebates as bait. Credit unions should alert employees and members to be on the lookout for scams. The most recent scams include:

Rebate Phone Call – Someone identifying himself as an IRS employee calls consumers and asks for bank account information for the direct deposit of the rebate. If the individual refuses, he is told that he cannot receive the rebate.

Refund e-mail – The bogus e-mail falsely claims to come from the IRS, tells the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount, and instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information that the scamsters can then access.

Audit e-mail – This technique will get almost anyone’s attention. This phony e-mail notifies the recipient that his or her tax return will be audited. The IRS does not send unsolicited, tax-account related e-mails to taxpayers.

Paper Check Phone Call – In a current telephone scam, a caller claims to be an IRS employee who is calling because the IRS sent a check to the individual, and since the check has not been cashed, the IRS wants to verify the individual’s bank account number. The caller may have a foreign accent.

Changes to Tax Law e-Mail – This bogus e-mail is addressed to businesses, accountants, and “Treasury” managers. It instructs them to download information on tax law changes by clicking on a series of links to publications on businesses, estate taxes, excise taxes, exempt organizations, and IRAs and other retirement plans.

Individuals who receive a questionable e-mail claiming to come from the IRS should forward it to phishing@irs.gov. Use instructions contained in an article, “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Schemes,” to help the IRS track the suspicious e-mail to its origins and shut down the scam.

Those who have received a questionable telephone call that claims to come from the IRS may also use the phishing@irs.gov mailbox to notify the IRS of the scam.

Phishing Scam

We have been alerted about a new phishing scam. DO NOT follow the link provided, or respond to the e-mail in any other way. Please remember that Beaver Valley FCU will never request that you update or send your User ID, password or other personal information in an e-mail or over the Internet.

The following is a sample of the phishing e-mail that is being sent in an attempt to commit fraud:

From: Beaver Valley Federal Credit Union [mailto:srv@beavervalleyfcu.org]
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 8:13 AM
Subject: Urgent Notice! Case-ID: WGRZKDGNOQ

Dear Beaver Valley Federal Credit Union Client,

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in Beaver Valley Federal Credit Union system. We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account. We requested information from you for the following reason:

A recent review of your account determined that we require some additional information from you in order to provide you with secure service. Case ID Online Expired on 12-10-2007. If you want to continue using our service you have to Renew your online. If not, your online will be deactivated and deleted.

To continue please click here and follow the steps.

Please notice that your card issued by Beaver Valley Federal Credit Union 4328-80XX-XXXX-XXXX will be disabled until you verify your online service due to security of your payments.

CUNA Attempts To Shut Down New Card-Activation Phishing Scam

CUNA, (NOT CUNA Mutual Group), is being used as the subject of a phishing message targeting your credit union members to collect personal account information, plastic card numbers, and passwords. CUNA is warning people who receive the e-mail not to click on the link to the fake web page, just delete the message.

This new phishing-scam attempt using the Credit Union National Association's name, informs recipients about "irregular check card activity" and advises them to call a toll-free number to get any restrictions removed. Calling the toll-free number is a "bad idea," says Dorothy Steffens, CUNA's vice president of web services, 800-356-9655 ex 5719. The call is a ploy to get personal account information, possibly for identity theft purposes.

Recipients received a message as a:

"CUNA Alert: Irregular Check Card Activity"

"We detected irregular activity on check card on Oct. 25/2007. For your protection, you must reactivate your card. Call us immediately at 1.866.840.2863. We will review the activity on your account with you and upon verification, we will remove any restrictions placed on your account.

Please disregard this notice if you have already accessed the website or spoken with one of our representatives."

As a trade association for U.S. credit unions, "CUNA does not maintain any type of customer/member financial information," emphasized Steffens, adding that "your financial institution would never request personal identification information over the phone."

And while this phone number has since been disabled, a new phishing e-mail with a different phone number started making the rounds on October 30, 2007.

"Anyone responding to any e-mails of this type should contact their financial institution directly using the phone number provided by it," she said.

Also, another phish making the rounds earlier with CUNA's name on it comes from a gmail.com address and addresses "Credit Union National Association SERVICE." It says CUNA ensures 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." It provides a "case ID" and a link to a fake website mimicking CUNA's.

FTC Launches Website to Fight Cyber Crime

In an attempt to address the rising cyber crime threat, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) unveiled an online tool designed to help consumers avoid becoming victims of Internet scams.

At the website, www.onguardonline.gov, you can take interactive quizzes regarding identity theft, phishing, spam and online-shopping scams. Elsewhere on the site, you can find detailed guidance on how to monitor your credit histories, use effective passwords and recover from identity theft.

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