Newsletter October 2008
Newsletter July 2008

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 Internet/E-Mail Fraud Alert

Recently, there have been multiple fraudulent e-mails and telephone calls directed to the general public and credit union members that appear to be from NCUA. False e-mails ask recipients to click on a link to confirm, verify or approve financial account information. If the recipient proceeds, the link directs them to a false website to verify or re-submit confidential information such as account and credit card numbers, Social Security number, password, and personal identification number, or  to complete a member satisfaction survey and receive $80.

A variant, “vishing” uses telephone systems. A vishing scam occurs when a consumer receives a recorded message telling them a credit card and/or financial institution account has been breached and to immediately call a number provided in the message. The phone number leads the consumer to a fraudulent call center where people are asked to supply or verify pertinent financial account, social security or credit card information.

NCUA does not ask credit unions members for personal information. Anyone who receives an supposed e-mail or phone call from NCUA that asks for account information should consider it a fraudulent attempt to obtain their personal account data for an illegal purpose and should not follow the instructions in the e-mail or phone call.

If you inadvertently respond and provide confidential account information, please notify your credit union immediately. You should change affected accounts and PINs, and take any additional action recommended by your credit union to protect your account.

If you feel that you have received a fraudulent NCUA phishing e-mail, please forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov

Additionally, you can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National White Collar Crime Center. 

What You Need to Know About the Federal "Do Not Call" Registry
With passage of the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act, a national "do not call" registry is possible. Here's what you need to know about the registry.

You can register with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at if you have an active e-mail address. To register by telephone, if you live in a state west of the Mississippi River, call toll-free, 888-382-1222 (TTY 866-290-4236), from the number you wish to register.

Because the FTC expects a large volume of registrations, telephone sign-up will be phased in by region. Online registration, on the other hand, is available everywhere in the U.S.

The registry will be available to telemarketers and other telephone sellers in September; they will be required to clear their call lists of any registered names at least once every 90 days.

You should expect to begin receiving fewer unwanted calls approximately three months after registering your number.

Your number will remain in the registry for five years, at which time you can renew your registration, or until you change phone numbers. If you wish to take your number off the list before the five-year mark, you also can do that.

Some businesses are exempt from the "do not call" registry such as some nonprofits.

If your state offers a "do not call" list, you'll still want to sign up for the national list. While the FTC will work with states to coordinate lists, that may take a year or more.

For more information about the national "do not call" registry, visit the FTC Web site at www.ftc.gov/donotcall.

 You have received a Greeting Card From...A Spammer

Online greeting cards are the latest target for Internet spammers trying to lure users into opening a corrupted attachment.

According the the Washinton Post, there has been a spike in viral e-mails this month. Postini, an e-mail security company, said it has seen about 275 million such messages since July 2.  On average, the company sees about 700,000 viral e-mails per day worldwide. Last week, there were as many as 35 million in a single day because of the spike in e-card spam.

In most cases, the subject line informs recipients that they've received a greeting card or a postcard from a "friend", "family member", "worshipper", "school-mate", or "neighbor".  When an e-mail is opened, there's a link to a Web site that uploads a virus to the recipient's computer.

Users of infected computers have few choices beyond buying and installing software to scan and clean their hard drives.  

If you receive a purported greeting-card e-mail - but don't recognize the sender - DELETE IT!!

Are you Up To Date?

When was the last time you verified your account information here at the Credit Union? Not only should your address be correct, but also your joint owner information and phone numbers. In the event of an emergency or to verify a transaction on your account, we will refer to the information on file. Make a point this year to verify and/or update this information on all your credit union accounts.

If you have an IRA (Individual Retirement Account):
Verify that the beneficiaries and/or their information you have listed on your IRA are correct.

Don't forget about your VISA credit cards, VISA check cards and share certificates, too!

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO VISIT ANY OF OUR OFFICES IN PERSON,
YOU MUST NOTIFIY US IN WRITING.
There is now a $5.00 fee per month for any mail returned to us with a "bad" address!

If you receive an unsolicited email or phone call that seems suspicious, and is allegedly from G.A.P. Federal Credit Union, please do not reveal any information.  Do not click on any link to update your account information. We will never ask you to provide any kind of confidential or financial details via an email request. We cannot stress how important this is!  In fact, please call us to verify that the request is legitimate. 

You are important to us...In order to assist our members with prompt, efficient service, it is sometimes necessary to have the answering machine on during normal business hours.  Please don't hang up! Leave a message! We will get back to you as soon as possible.  Because of limited hours and "drive-up" service only on Saturday's at our Richland office, your call will not be returned until the following Monday morning.

 Beware of Phishing and Other ID Theft Scam

 Phishing - pronounced "fishing" - is the latest form of identity theft.  It's when thieves act as if they are representing us and try to "hook" you into providing personal information.  Once you're "hooked", the thieves can do lasting damage to your financial accounts.  They can dupe you into providing your Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, PINs, mothers' maiden names and other personal information.

How Does Phishing Work?

By E-mail:
The most common form of phishing is by e-mail.  For instance, you could receive an e-mail from G.A.P. Federal Credit Union, asking you to "reconfirm" your personal information.  Unfortunately, this e-mail is not from us, but from a phisher pretending to be a representative of our organization. 

Typically, the e-mail contains a link to a web site that looks like a near-replica of our site.  You click onto the link and add your personal information, which goes right in the hands of identity thieves.  It's important to not respond to these e-mails.

What can I do to protect myself?

• Always type the website address yourself to log into your account(s).
• Hover over the link to reveal its true destination (this can be faked with programming code, so check the address bar after clicking).
• Be careful where you list  your email address. Fraudsters search places like comment boards and "contact us" pages.  Try googling your email address to see where yours is listed.

By Phone:
Phishers also use the phone to hunt for personal information.  Some, posing as employers, call or send e-mails to people who have listed themselves on job search web sites.

While phishing scams can be sophisticated, the following features are often indicators that something is suspicious.  

Be aware of a potential scam if:

• Someone unexpectedly contacts you and asks for your personal information, such as your financial institution account number, an account password or PIN, credit card number or Social Security number. G.A.P. Federal Credit Union will not contact you for that information.
• The sender, who is supposedly a representative of our credit union, asks you to confirm that you have a relationship with us. we have that information on record.
• You are warned that your account will be shut down unless you "reconfirm" your financial information. 

G.A.P. Federal Credit Union is doing everything we can to counter this type of criminal activity.  Your account protection is our top priority.

Protect your Personal Information:

• Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal information.
• Do not click on links in e-mails that ask you to provide personal information.
• Do not provide personal information via phone, e-mail or otherwise unless you initiated the contact with a trusted partner.
• If someone contacts you via phone or e-mail and says you've been a victim of fraud, verify the person's identity, and contact the organization directly before you provide any personal information.
• If you manage any of your financial accounts online, choose passwords that are difficulty for others to guess and use a different password for each of your online accounts.  Change the password frequently.
• Make sure the web sites on which you transact business post privacy and security statements.  Be sure to review them carefully.
• Do not send sensitive personal or financial information unless it is encrypted on a secure web site. Regular e-mails are not encrypted.  Look for the padlock symbol on the bottom bar of the browser to ensure that the site is running in secure mode before you enter sensitive information.
• Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions.
• Check your credit report twice a year and examine it thoroughly. This will reveal accounts that have been opened without your knowledge.
• Add a statement to your credit file that prohibits the granting of credit without calling you to confirm the application.
• Record the names, account numbers and customer service numbers of all the cards you carry.  This way you will have all the necessary information you need if you have to cancel your cards immediately.
• Make it difficult for thieves to get "identifying information" from your mail and mailbox.  Take envelopes containing checks and other sensitive information directly to the post office instead of leaving them in your mailbox.
• Shred or secure in a lockbox all documents with important identifying information on them, such as bank statements, credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers and pay stubs.
• Carry only the credit card you would use in an emergency. Do not carry your Social Security card.
• Update your personal computer with security patches and install anti-virus software.

   Again, if you receive an unsolicited email or phone call that seems suspicious, and is allegedly from our organization, please do not reveal any information.  Do not click on any link to update your account information. We will never ask you to provide any kind of confidential or financial details via an email request. We cannot stress how important this is!  In fact, please call us to verify that the request is legitimate. 

CARFAX CAN HELP BUY AND SELL CARS

If you're looking for a preowned vehicle, consider obtaining a Carfax vehicle history report once you select the car you want. Carfax reports can show whether the cars odometer has been rolled back, if the vehicle has been in a major accident, has been salvaged or had flood damage, and where it has been titled.

Contact us with the VIN of the vehicle you are considering purchasing or selling.  We can usually have a Carfax vehicle history report for you on the same day.

When you sell your vehicle, a Carfax report can prove to the potential buyer that what you say about the car is true. Skeptical prospects can become eager buyers when they see the current Carfax report about your vehicle.

A Carfax report can provide peace of mind if you get a clean report on a car you own, and can show defects on vehicles you plan to buy.