Fraud Alerts

Email Claiming to be from the FDIC
July 22, 2011
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of fraudulent emails that have the appearance of being from the FDIC. The emails appear to be sent from various "@fdic.gov" email addresses, such as "protection@fdic.gov," "admin@administration.fdic.gov," or "service@admin.fdic.gov." The messages have various subject lines that read: "Update for your banking account" or "ACH and Wire transfers disabled," and "Banking security update."

The fraudulent emails are addressed to "Dear clients" and state "Your account ACH and Wire transactions have been temporarily suspended for your security, due to the expiration of your security version. To download and install the newest Updates, follow this link. As soon as it is set up, your transaction abilities will be fully restored." The message concludes with, "Best regards, Online security department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation."

These emails and links are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. Recipients should consider the intent of these e-mails as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto end users' computers. Recipients should NOT access the link provided within the body of the emails and should NOT, under any circumstances, provide any personal financial information through this media.

Financial institutions and consumers should be aware that other subject lines and modifications to the e-mails may occur over time. The FDIC does not directly contact consumers in this manner nor does the FDIC request personal financial information from consumers.

Ohio Debit Card Breach
June 24, 2011
The fraudsters, using stolen debit details, hit accounts with fraudulent signature-based transactions used for online and over-the-phone purchases. Based on the number of organizations hit, tens of thousands of accounts may have been exposed.The affected banks include Keybank, Dollar Bank, Fifth Third, PNC, Huntington, Charter One, Ohio Savings and FirstMerit. At least six credit unions also were reportedly hit, including Century Federal Credit Union, Ohio First Class Credit Union [formerly the Postal Employees Credit Union], the Firefighters Credit Union, PSE Credit Union and Best Reward Credit Union. Fraudulent purchases, some of which neared $4,000, at Walmart, AutoZone and CVS were reported. Other transactions were initiated overseas, including some in Germany and the Philippines. The Electronic Crimes Task Force, a unit of the U.S. Secret Service, is in charge of the investigation.

Firelands Federal Credit Union takes this opportunity to remind you that if you suspect any fraudulent activity on your debit or credit cards, please contact us immediately at 1-800-276-5775. Often times, these criminals will perform "test" transactions at very low dollar amounts. Please read your statements closely and report any discrepencies immediately.

FDIC Reports Cases of Fraudulent Emails to Consumers
January 13, 2011
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports from consumers who received an e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. The e-mail informs the recipient that "in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal, state and local governments…" the FDIC has withdrawn deposit insurance from the recipient's account "due to account activity that violates the Patriot Act." It further states deposit insurance will remain suspended until identity and account information can be verified using a system called "IDVerify."

If consumers go to the link provided in the e-mail, it is suspected they will be asked for personal or confidential information, or malicious software may be loaded onto the recipient's computer. This e-mail is fraudulent. It was not sent by the FDIC. It is an attempt to obtain personal information from consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mail and should NOT under any circumstances provide any personal information through this media.

The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the e-mails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers are asked to report any similar attempts to obtain this information to the FDIC by sending information to alert@fdic.gov.

Credit Card Fraud E-Mail Messages
October 28, 2010
Residents and Firelands FCU members in the area have been receiving e-mail messages that their credit card has reached its limited. These messages are not from the credit union. Firelands Federal Credit Union will NEVER ask for credit card information or any other information through e-mail . Please contact us if you have received this call or have shared your credit card information over the phone.

Debit Card Fraud Text Messages
October 25, 2010
Residents and Firelands FCU members in the area have been receiving text messages that they need to activate their ATM/Debit card. These messages are not from the credit union. Firelands Federal Credit Union will NEVER ask for debit card information over the phone or through messaging services. Please contact us if you have received this call or have shared your debit card information over the phone.

Debit Card Fraud Phone Calls
October 21, 2010
Residents and Firelands FCU members in the Galion area have been receiving phone calls stating that someone is shopping with their debit card and they need to verify the card number and PIN. These phone call are not from the credit union. Firelands Federal Credit Union will NEVER ask for debit card information over the phone. Please contact us if you have received this call or have shared your debit card information over the phone.

Phishing Attempt - NCUA email addresses
October 8, 2010
NCUA has informed federally-insured credit unions about a recent phishing attempt to obtain member credit card account numbers, expiration dates and electronic signatures. In cases reported to NCUA, the perpetrator(s) sent fraudulent e-mails, representing to be from the NCUA, to credit union members and the general public. The emails state the NCUA will add $50.00 to the member’s account for taking part in a survey. The link embedded in the message directs members to a counterfeit version of NCUA’s website with an illicit survey that solicits credit card account numbers and confidential personal information.

Members affected by this scam, and variants of this scam, should forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov. Additionally, formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail can be filed with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center.