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Email Scam Alert

Tech Credit Union members have reported receiving emails from the credit union and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) requesting personal/sensitive information in order to renew Internet Banking & Bill Pay services or to verify accounts. Although these emails are constructed to look legitimate, they are a fraudulent attempt to obtain personal information for illegal purposes. For security and privacy reasons, the credit union, its regulatory agencies and service partners do not request sensitive information directly from members via unsolicited email messages.
Please read the information below for tips on protecting yourself from these types of scams.

Protect Yourself from Email Scams

There have recently been an increasing number of attempts on the Internet to trick people into revealing sensitive and private information about themselves to con artists who use that information to defraud them. The latest scam, popularly called 'phishing', uses email messages designed to look like they came from a reputable financial institution or merchant to direct the recipient to update or provide information back to their web site. The recipient is instructed to click on a URL embedded within the email, which links the user to a counterfeit web site designed to look like the organization's legitimate web site. These replicated pages prompt the recipient to enter personal, financial or password information.

To date, large financial institutions, credit card companies, and merchants have been the primary targets of these fishing scams. It is reasonable to expect that over time, phishing scams will increase and target organizations of all types and size.

Don't be fooled - protect yourself.

• Never verify information via an unsolicited email.
• Do not reply to emails seeking sensitive information.
• Do not fill out forms contained in email messages requesting sensitive information.
• Keep your Internet browser at the most current version and patch level.
• Legitimate organizations will not ask you to verify or request personal information via an unsolicited email.

If you receive an email claiming to be from a legitimate organization, but which you suspect is aimed at defrauding you, contact that organization and the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ifccfbi.gov.