ID Theft Resources
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, but that doesn't mean it has to happen to you, or your accounts. Advantage One Federal Credit Union is committed to serving and educating our members. We have added this page as a general resource for members to educate themselves before ID theft occurs, and to provide resources in the worst case that you are a victim of ID theft.
Below you will find links to numerous investigative bureaus and reporting agencies, as well as some helpful articles on ID theft related topics such as phishing.
Telephone Scams
- Some members are receiving the following text message from an Unknown phone number:
CO-OP Services CU Alert: Your CARD has been DEACTIVATED. Please contact us at 734-736-4010 to REACTIVATE your card.
If you receive this text, DO NOT respond.
- We have also received notice that some of our members are getting text messages from Community Driven Union requesting account numbers and personal information. These messages appear to be from Community Driven Union, but have actually been sent by a fraudulent third party in an attempt to trick our members.
These are scams. If you receive a text, email or phone call requesting you provide account numbers, social security numbers, or other private information - discard it. Please do not click any links and do not provide any sensitive information. If you have already responded to this type of call and given out your personal information, please contact us to close your account immediately and open up a new member number.
Fraud Alert
It has come to our attention that criminals have fraudulently duplicated the NCUA's logo in order to obtain account and password information from unsuspecting credit union members. Never to respond to e-mails that appear to be from NCUA, as it would not directly contact credit union members and never ask for personal account information.
Instructions for individuals who have received the e-mails are posted at http://www.ncua.gov/Phishing/phishing.htm.
PIN Reversals - An urban myth can lead to a safety issue at the ATM.
The internet can often quickly spread “urban myth” stories but few stories gain such rapid appeal with so many potentially negative impacts on cardholder safety and confidence as the misleading stories circulating the internet regarding PIN reversal to signal duress. PIN reversal technology is a concept based upon the possibility that a cardholder could remember (and reverse) his or her PIN at an ATM to draw attention to a dangerous situation like a kidnapping or a robbery. Critics say that it is unlikely that anyone under duress could successfully employ this technique without compromising their personal safety.
Financial institutions within the United States have not deployed this technique despite several well circulated email chain letters that have misstated this fact. The problem now facing financial institutions is the immediate need to communicate their positions and practices on this concept so that cardholders are not in any way misled into thinking that PIN reversal functionality is operating behind the scenes when in fact it is not.
What is Phishing?
The first recorded mention of phishing is on the alt.2600 hacker newsgroup in January 1996, although the term may have appeared even earlier in the printed edition of the hacker newsletter "2600 Magazine". The term phishing was coined by crackers attempting to "fish" for accounts from unsuspecting AOL members; "ph" is a common hacker replacement for "f".
Phishing is a type of Internet piracy where thieves try to obtain your personal financial information to make purchases or obtain credit.
Since financial institutions are now the leading target of phishing scams, we want to make sure you don't get caught. Typically, a phishing scam will be sent through email, sometimes even claiming to be from a business that you normally deal with. Please be aware that Advantage One will never solicit you by email, telephone, or mail for a username, password, social security number, credit card number, or any other type of sensitive, personal information. Disregard any such requests and delete any type of suspicious email.
If you receive a questionable email, phone call, or mailing that appears to be from Advantage One, please do not hesitate to contact us at (734) 676-7000 or at mbrservicecu@advantageonefcu.com
Visit the Federal Trade Commission ID Theft site for more information about how to protect yourself from phishing and other identity theft scams.
6 Tips to Keep You from Getting Stung by Phishers!
- Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information. Phishers typically: (1) include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in their emails to get people to react immediately; and (2) ask for confidential information such as user names, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, account numbers, etc.
- Don't use the links in an email to get to any web page if you suspect the message might not be authentic. Instead, call the company on the telephone, or log onto the web site directly by typing in the Web address in your browser.
- Avoid filling out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information. You should only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure web site or the telephone.
- Always ensure that you're using a secure web site when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser. To make sure you're on a secure Web server, check the beginning of the Web address in your browsers address bar - it should be "https://" rather than just http://.
- Consider installing a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from known phishing fraud web sites. Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied.
- Regularly check your online accounts and statements and don't wait for as long as a month before you check each account. If anything is suspicious, contact your financial institutions(s) and card issuers.
- Always report "phishing" or “spoofed” e-mails to the following groups: Antiphisihing.com; and the Federal Trade Commission.
- When reporting spoofed messages, always include the entire original email with its original header information intact; and notify the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their web site.
