E-mail credit union notification bogus... be very aware of scams
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: December 19, 2008
A suspicious Santa Paulan has raised the alarm of a very convincing e-mail scam that, if fallen for, would provide credit card information and guarantee misuse of the card, as well as opening the door to identity theft.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
A suspicious Santa Paulan has raised the alarm of a very convincing e-mail scam that, if fallen for, would provide credit card information and guarantee misuse of the card, as well as opening the door to identity theft. The e-mail is listed as from Credit Union Access with the Internet address of [mailto:card@creditunionaccess.comcard@creditunionaccess.com], and the subject line notes “Account Status Alert.”
The e-mail reads:
“Dear CU Member: This is not a promotional e-mail. Please call us immediately at (877) 898-7930 regarding recent restriction placed on your account. We’re available 24/7 to take your call.
Please disregard this e-mail if you’ve already called us since the date this e-mail was sent.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Thank you
CU Fraud Prevention Security Department.”
Aside from a few grammatical errors, the e-mail also raises a red flag with its reference to the account holder already contacting the bogus agency before they were even notified of a credit card account problem.
The person who forwarded the e-mail to the Santa Paula Times first did some amateur sleuthing and called the provided phone number. “I called the number and they ask you to put in the credit card number followed by the pound sign.”
The intended victim did not do as instructed, but rather contacted her credit union, which said that the account was fine and that no warning e-mails about holds on credit card accounts had been issued. And, she added, a Google search for the 877 phone number revealed “It is listed as a ‘suspicious’ number.”
Scams have a tendency to flourish during the holidays when people are distracted and busy. Whether it is in person, on the telephone, or through e-mail always guard your personal information, including credit card and Social Security identification numbers.
And, if someone or correspondence claims to be your bank or credit union and states they are contacting you to discuss a problem with your account or credit card, be smart: they don’t need your account number or any other information if they are legitimate. If there are any questions, you can make the contact by calling the customer service number on your statement to handle any issues that might exist.
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