Online Banking » Online Security » Phishing—Frequently Asked Questions

Phishing—Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

How do crooks get my email address and seem to know that I'm a UW Credit Union member?

A.

They obtain lists of email addresses by legal or illegal means, similar to those who produce email spam. Please know that email addresses are not being obtained from UW Credit Union. We use up-to-date technology to protect data and information exchanges. The crooks sending the email don't know you are a UW Credit Union member. They're guessing. Email messages may be sent to groups of people that are likely to have a banking relationship with a particular financial institution.

For example, people with yahoo.com in their email address may have an account at UW Credit Union. Scammers take the chance that at least some of the recipients are UW Credit Union members. So the scammers go "phishing"—sending emails to pools of recipients that are the most likely to bite. It's really a numbers game. They send a thousand emails and hope some reply.

Q.

I don't remember having a security phrase in emails from UW Credit Union. Where does the security phrase appear in UW Credit Union emails?

A.

All Web Alerts contain your chosen security phrase in the upper right box titled "Security Center" within the email. You can view or change your security phrase within Web Branch by selecting "Profile and Services."

Note: If you send us an email, we'll reply to your email; our email reply will not contain your security phrase. As such, our reply will not contain any of your identifying information, nor will we ask you to provide personal information in an email. If we need information that should not be relayed in an email, we'll call you.

Q.

I don't understand how I can end up at a bogus Web site if I click on www.uwcu.org or uwcu.org in a phishing email.

A.

The scammers use techniques to make the link text appear proper in the email, but actually the link directs you to another Internet address. If you have any doubt about an email, type in the Internet address of UW Credit Union yourself, rather than clicking the embedded email link. Remember that links in email text are not always what they appear to be. Always look for the lock icon in the bottom bar of your Web browser and "https" in the url to help validate our Web Branch site.

Q.

I think I may have replied to one of these emails recently. What should I do now?

A.

If you supplied any personal information, promptly call us at 608-232-5000 or 800-533-6773.

Q.

Should I be concerned about using UW Credit Union's Web Branch when phishing is on the rise?

A.

Phishing fraud is not related to Web Branch or its security. Instead, fraud success is related to the lack of education. For instance, several years ago consumers were being telephoned and asked for their account numbers. This fraud eventually declined—not because people stopped using their telephones, but because they became more informed about the risk of giving personal information over the phone.

Q.

What is UW Credit Union doing to protect me from phishing?

A.

We have security phrase protection that helps members recognize official emails from UW Credit Union. We periodically advise members in our newsletter, on our Web site, and in Web Alerts of how to protect their accounts. We have staff dedicated to ensuring that the system and account data remain secure. For example, when a member notifies us of a suspicious email, we work very quickly to investigate and shutdown the spoofed sites, thereby minimizing the exposure to our members.