FBI issues fraud warning to Internet buyers and sellers

If you are one of the millions of Americans who are using the web to buy or sell items on Internet auction sites such as eBay or receive unsolicited emails claiming you have won a contest or lottery you did not sign up for, the FBI suggests you review the following questions to see if you are susceptible to fraud or an Internet scam.

If you received an unexpected check in the mail is it authentic or a counterfeit?

Did you receive a check from an item sold on the Internet, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?
Is the amount of this check more than the item's selling price?
Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service?
Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?

Are you the “lucky” winner in a sweepstakes or lottery?

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 asked to pay processing fees associated with winnings or prizes?
Are you advised of deadlines and given a sense of urgency to claim your prize?

Are you safe from financial fraud?

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?

If you received a request to verify personal information:

Did you respond to an email requesting you confirm or update your account information?

If you answered YES to any of the previous questions, you could be involved in a fraud scam and should contact your local law enforcement office or NWFCU branch to help you identify the authenticity of the document.

Please remember - NWFCU strongly suggests you question the legitimacy of any and all unsolicited emails, especially those requesting you validate personal account information. Legitimate organizations, including NWFCU will NEVER ask for you to click on a link to go to a website to validate information through email, online or over the phone.

What you can do to protect yourself
Be protective of all your personal and financial information - never provide private information to unknown callers or websites. For more information on how to avoid becoming a victim of Internet scams visit www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.

We also suggest you sign up for our Fraud Prevention e-LERT. Our Fraud Prevention e-LERT will immediately advise you when we have added a new article or warning to the ‘Fraud Alert' section of our website.