New Telephone & Text Phishing Scam! - August 2011

Sooper Credit Union has recently been notified of a new telephone phishing scam. Some members have been reporting that they've received automated phone calls telling them that their accounts are frozen and to enter their 16 digit account number. The calls have been coming from the following number: 973-470-0900. Please Do NOT respond to this request for information!

Phishing text messages have also been received by members recently. These messages, like the one depicted, tell the receiver, "Your Credit Union debit card has a pending alert. Call now toll free: 1-720-250-0553 and follow instructions to resolve this alert."

This message is NOT from Sooper Credit Union. Please do not respond to any request for your account number, PIN or debit/credit card information!

*Please Note: We at Sooper Credit Union would like to assure you that the security of your information is of the utmost importance to us. Sooper Credit Union will never e-mail, text message or make calls requesting account number, PIN or debit/credit card information. Never respond to a request for this information. If you would like more information or wish to report that you have been a victim of a scam, please call 303-427-5005 during normal working hours or e-mail phishing@soopercu.org.

What is phishing?

Phishing is an attempt, via e-mail, text or phone, to steal personal identity data and financial account information for the purpose of committing fraud. The e-mail may ask the receiver to “update”, “validate” or “confirm” account information, including passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs). Some may threaten that an account will be closed or a card will be disabled. More recently, text messages claiming that the victim's card has been blocked or deactivated have been sent and they ask the victim to call a phone number. The e-mail addresses and phone numbers of the victims are not obtained from Sooper Credit Union itself but from external sources, or just randomly created.

Sooper Credit Union works diligently to close down each of the sources of these phishing e-mails and text messages as they are identified. Unfortunately, it may take from several hours to several days to identify the source and shut down the originator, who may then quickly move to another internet site and continue to operate.

How can I protect myself?

You can protect yourself by not responding to unsolicited e-mails, clicking on a link included in an e-mail, or calling the phone number(s) listed. Also, the latest version of the more common web browsers (such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox), have settings to warn users when a potential phishing site is visited.

Please be aware that Sooper Credit Union will never send an email, call you, or text you requesting your account number, PIN or credit card information. Never respond to a request for this information.

If you would like more information or to report that you have been a victim of a phishing scam, please call 303-427-5005 during our normal business hours, or you can send an e-mail to phishing@soopercu.org. We would also appreciate it if you forward any suspicious e-mails or text messages to phishing@soopercu.org.