On-Line Fraud
As an on-line user, you need to be aware of the possibility of on-line fraud. Please keep in mind that Metro will never send e-mail containing attachments that require members to send personal information to us via email or pop-up windows. Any unsolicited request for Metro Credit Union account information you receive through emails, web sites, or pop-up windows should be considered fraudulent and reported immediately.

Ways To Protect Yourself
With a few simple steps, you can help protect your Metro Credit Union accounts and personal information from on-line fraud.

Current On-line Fraud Scams
Recently, there have been increased reports of "phishing," a scam perpetrated via e-mail. In these scams, the perpetrator sends e-mail to the general public posing as a legitimate company and asks you to click on a link to verify account information.

In some instances, the perpetrators have posed as the NCUA and CUNA. The NCUA stands for The National Credit Union Administration, the federal agency that supervises federal credit unions. CUNA is the Credit Union National Association, a trade association for credit unions. In these scams, the perpetrator poses as the NCUA or CUNA and asks credit union members to verify their credit union account information and PIN (personal identification number) by clicking on a link that takes them to a fraudulent website. The fraudulent web site in many cases has been designed to look identical to the actual site of a legitimate company.

The NCUA and CUNA will never ask our members for their personal information. If you receive an e-mail from someone claming to be the NCUA or CUNA and they are asking about your account information, do not respond to the e-mail and contact Metro immediately.

If you have responded to such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please notify Metro Credit Union immediately. You should also change your account’s PIN, and take any additional action recommended by Metro to protect your account.

Phishing Scam With Worm Attachment
A number of organizations, including credit unions, have been targeted by an e-mail virus that can infect computers with a “worm” if opened. This worm had been mass-spammed to millions of e-mail boxes. The messages purport to come from ncuf@ncuf.coop, while similar e-mails with admin@fbi.gov or admin@cia.gov also are in circulation.

The text of the e-mail states the recipient has been logged as a visitor to illegal websites and advises that they should open the attachment to answer some questions. Opening the attachment can infect the computer with the “Sober K” worm virus, which accounts for 65% of all viruses reported to Sophos, a global network monitoring system. Any recipient who opens the attachment risks having their computer(s) involved in a number of illegal activities, according to the FBI and CIA (Washington Post Nov. 23).

Sophos analyst Graham Cluley has said one in every 74 pieces of e-mail sent over the Internet--including legitimate messages--is currently infected by the Sober K worm.

What To Do If You Recieve Such E-mail

• If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, don't open it even if it looks official.

• Don't open something if it doesn't make sense or if you aren’t completely comfortable opening it.

• Don't open email attachments sent from someone you don't know.

Zip files are a key way viruses can spread. Opening a zip file may trigger an auto-execute program with preprogrammed acts, such spreading a virus through an Outlook address book or collecting data via keystrokes on the recipient's computer. Viruses can capture and send personal data, passwords, log-in names, and keystrokes made while conducting online banking transactions. Firewalls won't protect you if you open such attachments because e-mail gets through a firewall.

Important Security Link
To protect your identity, try the following resources:
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alert
NCUA Identity Theft Brochure (pdf download)

To Report On-Line Scams
Please use the following Metro Credit Union contacts to report on-line fraud: