Phishing

If you have a MasterMoney Check Card with us, at times you may get a phone call to verify transactions on your account in an effort to prevent possible fraud. If you are unsure about who is calling, please call the credit union and speak to a representative. The correct phone number that they will have you call should they leave a message is 1-800-890-5097. If someone calls you and leaves any other phone number, please do not call and notify us immediately.

 

If you are on a third-party site that links to our website, we suggest you type in our URL - www.matadors.org - rather than click on the link.

 

What is Phishing?

There's a new type of Internet piracy called "phishing." It's pronounced "fishing," and that's exactly what these thieves are doing: fishing for your personal financial information. What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards.

 

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Here's how it works

In a typical case, you'll receive an e-mail that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial institution. In some cases, the e-mail may appear to come from a government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies.

 

The e-mail will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It will then encourage you to click on a button to go to the institution's website.

 

In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony website that may look exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual website. In those cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.

 

In either case, you may be asked to update your personal information or to provide information for verification purposes. If you provide the requested information, you may find yourself the victim of identity theft.

 

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To protect yourself

• Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request.

• If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial institution yourself.

• Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request.

• Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct.

• Update and run your anti-virus software frequently.

 

For more information on phishing, visit www.antiphishing.org or the Federal Trade Commission. Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the organization or financial institution impersonated in the phishing e-mail.

 

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