Email Scams
"Phishing" is a type of
internet piracy where criminals attempt to “fish” for your personal
information, such as social
security number, financial information or credit card number. In a
typical incident, you will receive an e-mail that appears to be from a
reputable company or Heartland Credit Union
itself, warning of a serious problem
that needs your immediate attention (usually involving your personal or
financial information). The email encourages you to click on a link to
go to the company's website to update this information.
It is important to DELETE THESE EMAILS as soon as you get them.
No legitimate organization will contact you on an urgent matter via
email. If the email lists a contact phone number to call or a website
address to visit for confirmation, DELETE IT and call the phone number
or visit the website you have saved in your records.
Please review the
following list of current email scams circulating the net:
Heartland Credit Union
Email Scam
This HTML email purports to be a service update and prompts you to
re-enter financial data. It looks very legitimate, since it uses
graphics from the Heartland website. Please delete the email immediately.
Credit Union
National Association Email Scam
This email, appearing to come from CUNA, states that your
account has been recently reviewed and until the organization receives
information from you, "your access to sensitive account features will be
limited." The email may sound legitimate, but it is a
scam. Please delete the email immediately.
NCUA Email Scam
This email appears to be from National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
This false e-mail asks for the recipient to click on a link to verify
their credit union account registration. If the recipient proceeds to do
so, the link directs them to a false website to ask for their credit
union account number and PIN, along with other personal information.
Nigerian-Style Scam
A current phishing email gives an old scam a new twist, claiming that a
large sum of money awaits the recipient in a newly opened bank account.
"Gift
Cards for Survey" Scam
An email promises gift cards or merchandise from major retailers
for filling out an online survey. Among the "survey" questions
are the name of your financial institution, passwords, email addresses, and other personal and account information.
If you receive an email of this kind, do not click on any link or provide any information about yourself or any of your accounts.
Beware Cashier's Checks!
In this scam, the victim tries to sell a vehicle or other goods over the
Internet. A buyer offers to pay with a cashier's check that is over the amount of the agreed sale price, and then
asks the victim to send a check for the difference to a third party.
Cashier's Checks take longer to clear. Weeks may pass
before the victim learns the Cashier's Check was a counterfeit and the
victim is held liable. Many times the perpetrators of these frauds are overseas, so there is little hope of the victim recovering from them.
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Visit OnGuardOnline.gov
for practical tips from the federal government to help you guard against Internet fraud, secure your
computer, and protect your personal information.
Spotting the Fakes
There are many scams with different pitches, all designed to convince
you to reveal personal information. Some scammers contact you by phone,
others use email. Either way, here are some facts to help you spot the
bad apples:
- Heartland Credit Union will NEVER ask for your PIN number.
If anyone ever asks you to "validate" this piece of
information, you should call the credit union immediately and report
the incident.
- Heartland Credit Union and its affiliates will NEVER call or email
you regarding "an urgent or threatening condition concerning
your account." Our policy is to send all official notices via
regular mail and to also post these announcements on our
website.
If you request access to your account (whether by telephone or
online), we will ask for private financial information to verify your
identity. A simple rule is to never give out this information unless YOU
initiated the transaction.
If You're Hooked...
If you responded to
such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please
notify Heartland Credit Union immediately of the scheme. You should also
change your account’s PIN, and take any additional action recommended by
our staff to protect your account.
Additionally, you
can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail
with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at
ncua@ic3.gov. The IFCC is a
partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the
National White Collar Crime Center.
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