Beware of Phishing—“Phishing” is a word that describes a type of identity theft by which scammers use fake Web sites and emails to fish for valuable personal information from individuals. The FBI is calling “phishing” the “hottest and most troubling new scam on the Internet.”

In typical phishing scams, you may receive an e-mail that appears to come from a company, financial institution, or government agency telling you that you need to “verify” or “re-submit” confidential information such as your bank account number, credit card account numbers, Social Security Numbers, passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs). The phishers provide a return email address, a link, or a pop-up message, which may be very convincing, and may look very much like a company’s real web site.

One example, of particular concern to the credit union, is one in which the phishers are impersonating the NCUA (the National Credit Union Association), asking for you to confirm your account number and password. DO NOT respond to any email that asks you to provide this type of information—from ANY company, financial institution, or government agency, including Eastern Utah Community Credit Union. If in doubt, call the institution or company using a valid phone number from the phone book, not from the phishing email or website.

Phishers may also call you on the telephone, trying to convince you that they represent the credit union, a bank or other institution or company. DO NOT give your private information to anyone who calls you on the phone. These callers can be very convincing and persuasive. They have been known to threaten to shut down your account, or use other strong arm tactics to convince you to give them your personal information. Simply refuse and hang up the phone. You may want to notify the impersonated company or institution of such attempts.