Darigold Federal Credit Union

REMEMBER: The Credit Union will NEVER ask you for confidential or sensitive

information in an e-mail. If you receive an e-mail that you believe is fraudulent,

please do not reply to it and forward it to our office right away.

How To Avoid Identity Theft Through "Phishing"

There's a new type of Internet piracy called "phishing." It's pronounced "fishing," and that's exactly what these thieves are doing: "fishing" for your personal financial information. What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your savings and checking accounts or run up bills on your credit cards.

In the worst case, you could find yourself a victim of identity theft. With the sensitive information obtained from a successful phishing scam, these thieves can take out loans or obtain credit cards and even driver's licenses in your name. They can do damage to your financial history and personal reputation that can take years to unravel. But if you understand how phishing works and how to protect yourself, you can help stop this crime.

Here's How Phishing Works:

In a typical case, you'll receive an email that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial institution. In some cases, the e-mail may appear to come from a government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies.

The e-mail will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It may use phrases, such as "Immediate attention required," or "Please contact us immediately about your account." The e-mail will then encourage you to click on a button or link to go to the institution's website.

In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony website that may look exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual website. In those cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.

In either case, you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes: your Social Security number, your account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your identity when speaking to a real financial institution, such as your mother's maiden name or your place of birth.

If you provide the requested information, you may find yourself the victim of identity theft.

How To Protect Yourself

1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request, whether it is over the phone or over the Internet. E-mails and Internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. They may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure site. Do not click on any buttons or links in these e-mails. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.

2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the Credit Union yourself. You can find the phone numbers and website address on the statements and newsletters you receive from the Credit Union. The key is that you should be the one to initiate the contact, using the information that you have verified yourself.

3. Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request. The Credit Union, like any other financial institution, will never ask you to verify your account information online. Thieves armed with this information and your account number can help themselves to your savings.

4. Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct. If your statement does not arrive, please call the Credit Union to find out why. If you have enrolled in the Credit Union's Online Banking, periodically review your activity online to catch suspicious activity.

What To Do If You Fall Victim

• Contact the Credit Union and other financial institutions immediately and alert them to the situation.

• If you have disclosed sensitive information in a phishing attack, you should also contact one of the three major credit bureaus and discuss whether you need to place a fraud alert on your file, which will prevent thieves from opening a new account in your name.

Here are the phone numbers for the fraud division at each bureau:

Equifax - 800-525-6285

Experian - 888-397-3742

TransUnion - 800-680-7289

• Report all suspicious contacts to the Federal Trade Commission through the Internet at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.

• Contact the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271 and alert them.

• Contact your local police department and file a criminal report.

• Notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your identity theft to check and see if an unauthorized license number was issued in your name.

• Notify the passport office to be watching out for anyone ordering a passport in your name.

• Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak to regarding the incident. Follow up your phone calls with letters. Keep copies of all correspondence.