On Wednesday, December 7, Leaders
Credit Union was made aware of an email scam, using our name
and logo, to attempt to draw members into a fake website similar
in appearance to the Leaders Credit Union homepage. Attempting
to sign into E-branch services logs the username and password
but gives a failure message, giving the offender access to the
specified account. Leaders Credit Union is taking appropriate
action to protect members and attempt to identify the offenders.
Leaders Credit Union has been
made aware of recent attempts to steal member information in
the form of fake emails, which send out a false message that
a security breach requires you to visit a certain website and
enter confidential member information. This type of scam, called
"phishing", is all too common, and one of the primary
means of online identify theft. Please follow these guidelines
when you receive a questionable email or popup message while
banking online:
Leaders Credit Union will never
send an email asking a member to enter information into a website.
If it looks suspicious, delete it. If you've followed the instructions
of the false emails, please contact Member Services immediately.
Emails containing misspelled
words, incorrect grammar, and odd spacing are most likely generated
using translators, converting the message from its native language.
Most phishing attempts do not
name the correct Credit Union or financial institution, using
a generic name in an attempt to pull in accounts from many different
institutions.
Never give your social security
number, member number, password, or any other confidential information
that may be used to identify you or change your information
over an email or suspicious phone call. If in doubt, please
schedule to update any information directly with a Member Services
Representative.
Current email scams received
this week announce "Dear Leaders Credit Union Customer",
"Dear First Tennessee Bank Customer", and "Dear
Tennessee Credit Union Customer", in large bold letters.
These appear to be from the same source, and are attempts to
steal information by entering information into a "spoofed"
website. If you receive this email, please delete it immediately,
and inform anybody that may have access to your account to do
the same.
If you have entered your information
online because of an email like this, please change your E-Branch
password and contact us immediately.
Definitions:
What is 'Phishing'?
phishing (FISH.ing) pp. Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses
spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your
credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security
number, passwords, or other sensitive information. -phisher
n.
Example Citations:
Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate
companies in email messages to entice people to share passwords
or credit-card numbers. Recent victims include Bank of America,
Best Buy and eBay, where people were directed to Web pages that
looked nearly identical to the companies' sites.
What is 'Spoofing'?
Pretending to be something it is not, whether an email, website,
etc…
For more information on
secure home banking, please follow this link: https://www.leaderscu.com/onlineserv/HB/security_site/privacy.html
