Email Fraud Information

At Members United Credit Union we're committed to protecting your privacy and security. We will never initiate a request for sensitive information from you via email (ie., Social Security Number, Personal ID, Password, PIN or account number). We strongly suggest that you do not share your Personal ID, Password, PIN or account number with anyone, ever.

Email Fraud Update:

The Members United Credit Union name and logo have been used without our consent or knowledge in "phishing" schemes to acquire sensitive information from unsuspecting Web and email users. Receiving an email is a matter of chance and does not mean that your data or our systems have been compromised.

What is Phishing?

"Phishing" refers to a person or a group of ‘cyber-criminals’ who create an imitation or copy of an existing legitimate Web page to trick users into providing sensitive personal information. Responding to "phishing" emails put your accounts at risk.

Large numbers of recipients are being "spammed," without actual knowledge of their banking affiliation. They request and collect email addresses and other confidential information like financial account numbers, IDs and passwords. The cyber-criminals have copied the logos and the content styles of widely known and respected financial institutions (including institutions such as, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo) in an attempt to elicit a response from a recipient who may or may not be a customer of that financial institution.

Safeguard your information

Email

• Be alert for fraudulent (sometimes called "phishing") emails. They may appear to come from a reputable business or a trusted friend but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus to your computer or directing you to a Web site to disclose sensitive or personal information.
  
• Immediately delete any email that requests your personal information; do not reply to it. Reputable businesses never request personal information (Social Security or credit card numbers, for example) via email.
  
• Never send your personal information via unsecured email. If Members United Credit Union needs information beyond your name, address, email address and phone number, we will provide you with a secure email form.
  
• If an email from an unknown - or unsolicited - sender contains an attachment of any kind, do not open it. Delete the email immediately. U.S. Bank will never include attachments in the emails we send to you.
  
• Be cautious when clicking on a link in an email that you receive. It may be fraudulent, even though the URL may be identical to the actual company's Web site. To check the ownership of the destination page, open a new browser window and manually type in the URL provided in the email. If they don't match, immediately delete the email with the suspicious link.

Online Security

• If you suspect a Web site is not what it claims to be, leave it immediately. Do not follow any of the instructions it presents.
  
• Only do business with the companies you know and trust.
  
• Only use your credit card number on Internet sites that have a secure, encrypted system (look for the "HTTPS" in the address line or lock icon).
  
• Provide sensitive personal or financial information only when you have initiated it and only if the page is secure.
  
• Choose passwords or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that are difficult for others to guess (NOT your birthday or street address or the last four digits of your Social Security number), and use a different password for each of your Internet accounts. Change these passwords frequently. Use both letters and numbers and a combination of lower- and upper-case letters if the passwords are case-sensitive.

Other things you can do to deter identity thieves:

• Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them.
  
• Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier.
  
• Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
  
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information.
  
• Don’t use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
  
• Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.

Phishing and ID theft information above is from the Anti-Phishing Work Group*.

*The following links will direct you to other Internet sites containing information that may be useful to you. These sites are not controlled or endorsed by Members United Credit Union. Members United Credit Union does not guarantee the accuracy of information contained in those sites.