Online Banking » Online Security » About Phishing
About Phishing
UW Credit Union will never send an unsolicited e-mail that requests you to "confirm" or "update" your password or account information.
What is "phishing"?
"Phishing" is the use of e-mail and fraudulent Web sites to trick recipients into disclosing personal
financial information, such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, account names, passwords,
and addresses.
How is phishing accomplished?
Phishing, or e-mail fraud, is accomplished through the use of e-mails that "spoof" or mimic those of legitimate banks and
credit unions. The e-mails attempt to mislead the recipient into "confirming" or submitting personal and/or financial information.
There are many ploys used to convince users to divulge their personal information.
For example, the message may state a breach of security or a new operating system as a reason to "confirm" an account holder's
personal information. Spoofed e-mails usually contains a link that takes the recipient to a spoofed Web site to capture their personal data.
Because it can be very difficult to identify these counterfeit
e-mails, it is important to remember that UW Credit Union will never send an unsolicited e-mail that requests you to "confirm" or "update" your password or account information.
Report phishing to UW Credit Union.
If you receive an e-mail asking you
to supply personal information related to your UW Credit Union accounts, consider the e-mail
a phishing "attack" and report it to the UW Credit Union immediately.
- Forward a copy of the suspected phishing e-mail to abuse@uwcu.org.
AND
- Call Us to report the incident.
Tips to avoid phishing attacks:
- Ignore unsolicited e-mail that asks you to submit your personal information.
- Never use forms that are embedded in the body of an e-mail (even if the form appears legitimate).
- Never use links embedded in an e-mail. Because phishing scams use deceptive links, it is safer to use bookmarks or type in the Web site address (URL) to reach the site that you want to visit.
- Validate that you are connected to an encrypted web site; Https:// will appear at the beginning of the Web site address (URL).
- Validate the authenticity of the SSL certificate; double-click the "lock" icon at the bottom of your browser to view the certificate.
- Keep your Internet browser and operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates. Check your browser
- Use anti-virus software and ensure that it is updated regularly.
At UW Credit Union, protecting your private information is a top priority. For more information, please see our privacy policy.
