Avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. Learn about these common schemes that target financial institution customers.
Phishing
Member and non-members alike may receive fraudulent e-mails which claim to be from North Island Credit Union. These are sent by criminal third parties, called 'phishers' (pronounced "fishers"), seeking to lure you into disclosing confidential and personal information such as passwords, credit card numbers, account numbers, PIN codes, or Social Security Numbers. These phishers are engaging in two forms of identity theft: they are impersonating our identity, and they want to steal your information to impersonate yours.
A phishing e mail will generally follow one of a variety of possible themes:
- Threatens to close your account, states your account is already closed, or states that there has been fraudulent activity on your account, and asks for immediate action by requesting personal information via a linked website.
- Offers you a chance to participate in a survey with a monetary reward if you enter your personal or account information via a linked website.
- Asks for personal information directly in the e mail, possibly in a form within the body of the e mail itself.
See examples of fraudulent phishing emails that have been reported.
Vishing
The term "vishing" is a combination of "voice" and phishing. This criminal practice involves calling victims directly — or soliciting victims via email to call a phony telephone number — with an automated recording designed to steal credit card numbers, account numbers, or other information. Often these emails and recordings state that your card/account has been disabled and needs to be reactivated or that unusual or fraudulent activity has taken place on the card/account. To protect yourself, be highly suspicious when receiving messages directing you to provide sensitive personal or financial information. Hang up immediately and contact your credit union or financial institution directly to verify the validity of the message.
See examples of fraudulent vishing e-mails members have received.
Our Practice
Please note that it IS NOT our practice to:
- Threaten to close your account if you do not take the immediate action of providing personal information
- Send e-mail asking you to reply with personal information
- Require you to enter personal information directly into an e-mail
It IS our practice to proactively and aggressively evaluate any fraudulent emails or calls claiming to be from North Island Credit Union that we become aware of. We work with domestic and international law enforcement to shut down this criminal activity and provide resources to help you become more aware of the issue.
Smishing
The term "smishing" is a combination of "SMS" and "phishing". This involves sending text messages to cell phones, at your expense. Although the messages are typically brief, they will often ask you to visit a website or dial a phone number.
Like vishing and phishing, smishing is a social engineering attack designed to steal personal information and does not originate from North Island Credit Union. Please forward any messages received to abuse@myisland.com and do not visit any URLs given. We also recommend that you inform your cellular provider so that they can take preventative measures against these types of attacks.
See examples of fraudulent smishing text messages that have been reported.
Resources
- LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com — learn about the latest internet fraud schemes from a joint federal law enforcement and industry task force.
- Online Fraud educational course — how to spot and avoid email scams from our online security partner Digital Defense, Inc.
- Wikipedia article on Phishing
See Also