WASHINGTON - Several credit union-associated entities, including Credit Union Times, were phished this month and the Anti-Phishing Working Group reported that May phishing attacks hit a record.

E-mails distributed from abuse@cutimes.com with the subject "Account Alert" were distributed last week. If you have received one of these messages, just delete the message and do not click on the links provided.

The e-mail states that your account will be suspended within 24 hours if you do not confirm your e-mail by clicking the link. It then said after completing the instructions there, your account will not be interrupted. It was signed by the "Cutimes Abuse Department."

The problem was resolved quickly.

NCUA also discovered that its name, logo, and Web site were being used repeatedly in spammed messages to obtain personal account information and PINs. "Judging from the number of inquiries.it does seem to be a nationwide scam," NCUA Director of Public and Congressional Affairs John McKechnie explained. The agency encouraged credit unions to alert their members never to respond to e-mails that appear to be from NCUA as it would not directly contact credit union members and never ask for personal account information. A downloadable brochure for credit unions to distribute to their members is available at http://www.ncua.gov/Publications/brochures/IdentityTheft/PhishBrochure-Web.pdf.

CUNA's name, along with Visa and MasterCard, were linked in a recent phishing attack that claimed the recipient must "reactivate" their debit card because of security precautions taken following an alleged phishing attack.

NAFCU was also phished last month.

"This is the downside of a high tech society: some people try to abuse that technology," McKechnie commented.

The financial services sector is the most commonly hit. May had a record-breaking 20,109 unique phishing e-mail reports submitted to APWG. The group found 11,976 unique phishing sites on the Web. Nine-two percent of May's phishing e-mails involved financial services entities. A total of 137 brands were hijacked. -scooke@cutimes.com

Instant Insights /

Several CU Groups, Including Credit Union Times, Phished this Month; Attacks on the Rise

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