Hi Folks

This is currently NOT happening in our area, but we thought it was important and vital to share this information with you as identity theft and fraud are increasing at alarming rates.

These phishing scams are currently affecting some credit unions in Hardin, Ohio. Here is some information we received from the Ohio Credit Union League. Again, we will NEVER solicit your information over e-mail or via text message!

W NEVER solicit your personal financial information via e-mail.
‘t get hooked by phishing scams! Learn more.R solicit your personal financial information via e-mail.
Don’t get hooked by phishing scams! Learn more.

Don’t fall prey to phishing scams masquerading as Ohio credit unions

Information for Consumers:
On Oct. 29, a fraudulent e-mail began circulating purporting to be from Sun Center Federal Credit Union (services@suncenterfcu.com). The e-mail informs the recipient that their account has “temporarily suspended your account” due to billing failure. Recipients are instructed to go to an imposter Web site to “complete an account update so we can unlock your account.” If you receive any of this messages, disregard it and do not input your information in the imposter Web site — even if you have an account with Sun Center Federal Credit Union. Report the message to your credit union or other financial institution.

On Oct. 23, a phone scam purporting to be from Hardin Community Federal Credit Union began circulating. Consumers are receiving automated phone calls stating that their Hardin Community Federal Credit Union credit cards and PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) have been inactivated. Recipients are given an 866-area-code phone number to call to re-instate their accounts by submitting their accounts information (this is how the fraudsters steal their account information and potentially withdraw funds).

Consumers who receive this phone call should immediately disregard it — even if they have an account with Hardin Community Federal Credit Union. Report the message to your credit union or other financial institution. Hardin Community Federal Credit Union has posted information about the scam on its Web site, http://www.hardinfcu.com/, for consumers.

If a consumer has already fallen prey to the phone scam, they need to immediately notify his/her financial institution and alert them that their account information has been compromised.

Consumers are being targeted at random, and this scam is not the result of a data breach of Hardin Community FCU’s account information.

Report the phishing scam. Report the phishing scam to regulator and insurer. Contact the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions at (614) 728-8400 and the National Credit Union Administration Region III office at (678) 443-3000. Contact American Share Insurance/Excess Share Insurance at (614) 764-1900.

– Alert anti-phishing groups. Report the scams to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Compliance Center at www.ic3.gov, and the Anti-Phishing Workgroup at reportphishing@antiphishing.org.

– Take downs. For phishing scams directing recipients to call a specific phone number: If possible, determine the phone carrier of the suspicious phone number using a reverse search Web site, such as www.411.com. Contact the carrier and them to investigate and shut down the number