Scam & Fraud

Beware of Phishing Scams Targeting CAMPUS Members

CAMPUS USA Credit Union will NEVER initiate an email asking for your personal account information. Please beware that fraudsters may send you phony e-mail messages trying to get your personal information, even with links to sites that may look legitimate, such as CAMPUS Que. Please use extreme caution and protect yourself from these online scams.

CAMPUS USA Credit Union will never ask for such personal information as account numbers, passwords, online security codes or your social security number via email. If you have any questions regarding the legitimacy of a CAMPUS website or email please call 800-367-6440 and press 5.

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At CAMPUS your safety is PRIORITY ONE. Due to the frequency and nature of many of the scams circulating today our employess may ask more questions when conducting business. This is to ensure your safety.

Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identy Theft. The Federal Trade Commission has produced a booklet to help you remedy the effects of identity theft; read.

If you think you may have provided your personal identifying information and/or account information to a phishing website please contact us immediately at 800-367-6440. You may also want to refer to this brochure; read.

FBI Fraud Alert. If you answer YES to any of these questions you could be involved in a fraud or about to be scammed:

Are you depositing/cashing a check from an item you sold on the internet, such as a car, boat or jewelry, etc?
Is the amount of the check more than the items selling price?
Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service?
Is the check you're depositing/cashing connected to communicating with someone by email?
Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying the item?
Have you been informed that you were the winner of a lottery, such as Canadian, Australian, El Gordo, or El Mundo, that you did not enter?
Have you been instructed to either wire, send or ship money as soon as possible to a large US city or to another country, such as Canada, England or Nigeria?
Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country such as Canada, England or Nigeria?
Are you receiving pay or a commission for facilitating money transfers through your account?
Did you respond to an email requesting you to confirm, update or provide your account information?

If you answered "YES" to any of these questions please contact the credit union immediately at 800-367-6440 and press 4 or visit any service center.

Some of the latest scams:

Phishing Scam Emails Targeting CAMPUS Members - August 2007

Dear Campus USA Credit Union Member,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You have been chosen by Campus USA Credit Union online department to take part in our quick and easy reward survey. In return we will credit $500 to your account - Just for your time!
Every year, 1000 selected members who complete certain transactions with the credit union are chosen to take part in this $500 reward survey. At Campus USA Credit Union, we want to know how you feel about the service levels as well as the products and services we provide.We welcome your comments at any time. By regularly surveying the membership, we are better able to serve your needs. Your participation in these surveys gives you a voice and provides a convenient way for you to express your likes, dislikes and needs. We kindly ask you to spare two minutes of your time in taking part with this unique offer.
To continue click or copy in your explorer address bar the link below:
©2007 Campus USA Credit Union.

Important Visa Debit Card and Credit Card Alert - January 22, 2007

CAMPUS has been notified of the recent Visa card security breach with a local retailer (TJ Maxx/HomeGoods). We have not been notified of any fraudulent activities at this time, just that security was compromised at this retailer.

Campus USA Credit Union Notification

Dear Customer,

Campus USA Credit Union temporarily suspended your account.
Reason: Billing failure.
To start the update process click here. Once you have completed the update, we will send you an email notifying that your account is available again. After that you can access your account at any time.

The information provided will be treated in confidence and stored in our secure database. If you fail to provide information about your account you'll discover that your account has been automatically deleted from Campus USA CU database.
Copyright © Campus USA Credit Union, All Rights Reserved

Emails from the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.)
Emails to financial institution customers fraudulently claim to be from the FDIC, in attempt to obtain sensitive personal information.

Emails from the NCUA
Email from a party fraudulently claiming to be the NCUA advising that your credit union has joined the FCU network. The email recipients are directed to a FCU activation page where they are asked to provide sensitive personal information. The NCUA will never ask credit union members for such personal information.

Thieves Targeting Credit Cards at Gas Pumps
Sophisticated thieves intercept the numbers on credit cards being used at gas pumps at primarily large service stations by attaching what is known as a skimming device to the credit card reader at the gas pump.

Cashiers Check Fraud
A variation of the Nigerian Letter Scam, the scam involves a seller advertising a valuable item over the internet. A buyer contacts the seller about purchasing the item and states that he plans to use a cashiers check issued from a bank/credit union in the US. The buyer then tells the seller that he either mistakenly sent too large a check or that he will be sending a check for more than the purchase price. In either event, the seller is instructed to immediately wire the balance back to the buyer. The unsuspecting seller then deposits the cashiers check into their account. Under federal banking law, the customer's bank is required to make those funds available to its customer on the business day after the funds are deposited. As the unwary seller is able to withdraw the overpayment before the check winds its way back to the bank where it was supposedly issued. That can take 7 days or more. Of course, after wiring the money back to the buyer, the scam artist is nowhere to be found.

Phishing survey offers gift cards for your personal and confidential information
This new scam uses the promise of gift cards or merchandise from major retailers to lure recipients into providing sensitive and personal financial information.

Targeted trojan email attacks
A trojan horse is an attack method by which malicious or harmful code is contained inside apparently harmless files. Once opened, the malicious code can collect unauthorized information that can be exploited for various purposes or permit computers to be used surreptitiously for other malicious activity. These attacks appear to target US information for exfiltration.

There are two distinct elements that make this attach technique significant. First, the trojans can elude conventional protective measures such as anti-virus software and firewalls. Second, the emails are sent to specific or targeted recipients. Unlike "phishing" attacks, the emails use social engineering to appear credible, with subject lines often referring to work or other subjects that the recipient would find relevant. The emails contain the trojanized attachments, or links to websites hosting trojanized files that are spoofed, making it appear to come from a colleague or reliable party. The email attachments exploit known vulnerabilities to install a trojan on the user's computer. When opened, the file or link installs the trojan.