Phishing Email Claims You Can Help the Government Fight the Funding of Terrorism and Money Laundering Activities

A new spin on phishing attempts is designed to obtain several key pieces of personal information. The fraudsters' email starts by suggesting that you can help the government fight terrorism and related money laundering by verifying your personal information. Then, it attempts to lead consumers to a counterfeit website designed to trick recipients into divulging financial data, such as credit card numbers, account user names, passwords and Social Security numbers. For a sample of this phishing attempt, click here.

Detecting a fraudulent e-mail can be difficult. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information.
Don't use the links in such an e-mail.
Phisher emails are typically NOT personalized.

What do I do if I receive one of these emails?
Report suspicious Internet sites and emails to the government and for additional protection tips visit www.ic3.gov or the Federal government’s consumer information center at www.consumer.gov/Tech.htm.

If you responded to such an email and provided confidential account information, notify your financial institution immediately. If you suspect fraud or ID theft on your NWFCU account, email us at fraud@nwfcu.org.

What can I do to protect myself against scams?
Sign up for NWFCU’s Fraud Prevention e-LERT. Our Fraud e-LERT will immediately advise you when we have added a new warning to the Security & Fraud section of our website.

SAMPLE OF FRAUDULENT EMAIL

Notice to All Members!
Valued Member,
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all Credit Unions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who has an account, including investors in transactions for which we act as advisor.

What this means for you:

If you are a member of any Credit Union please provide your name, social security number, address, and date of birth, financial information and/or other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.
Please follow the link below to continue:
(Link has been removed for your protection)

We appreciate your cooperation with this. Thank you.