SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) –
Some customers of a Saginaw credit union have received phony messages that are part of scam to obtain personal information.
United Financial Credit Union, at 2510 Weiss St., was recently the target of a phishing attack. Officials at the credit union said phishing is the practice of sending an e-mail or text message that appears to be from a financial institution with the goal of persuading users to share sensitive information that can be used to commit fraud or identity theft.
United Financial Credit Union learned about the attack on March 21, 2012.
“The criminals that sent out this text message used our name to try and persuade people that received the message that it was from the Credit Union,” said David Cibulka, CEO. “We are contacting our members to let them know that we did not send this message, nor would we ever ask them to submit this type of information via text message.”
Anyone who responded to the message by sharing personal financial information about their accounts at United Financial Credit Union are encouraged to contact United Financial Credit Union as soon as possible by calling 800-772-8728, or by visiting a branch office.
David Cibulka said United Financial Credit Union is using its website, branch employees and materials to provide instructions for members who were “hooked” by the phishers. Important precautions include changing passwords and monitoring account activity.
United Financial Credit Union has also reported the phishing attack to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. They analyze internet crime complaints and refer complaints to other law enforcement agencies as needed.
Copyright 2012 WNEM (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.