Don't be a Victim of Phishing Scams
FCFCU Will Never Request Personal or Private Information Through Email! We will never request
information such as account numbers, balances, social security number, address, phone number, driver's
license number, etc. through email. If you receive this type of unsolicited email or request, please contact us
immediately at (504) 862-2561. If you are asked this information from someone claiming to be affiliated with
FCFCU it is a scam which is a crime and should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission Office (FTC).
Additionally, we will not ask this information by telephone unless a member initiates contact with us for
information about his/her account.
While online banking and e-commerce is very safe, as a general rule you should be careful about giving out
your personal financial information over the Internet. Below is a list of recommendations you can use to
avoid becoming a victim of these scams.
Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information
- Pfishers try to get you to react immediately by sending upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in
emails.
- Personal information is requested such as user names, passwords, credit card numbers, and social
security numbers.
- The email may not be personalized.
Don't use links in an email to get to any web page, if the message appears suspicious
- It is better to call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing the Web address in your browser
- Avoid completing forms in email messages which may request financial information
- Only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information through a
secure website or by telephone.
- Ensure you are using a secure website when submitting credit card and other sensitive
information by your Web browser
The beginning of the web address in your browser address bar should read "https://". If the
(s) is missing beware.
Consider installing a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from known phishing fraud websites
- EarthLink SpamBlocker is part of a free browser toolbar that alerts you before you visit a page that's
on Earthlink's list of known fraudulent phisher Web sites.
Regularly log into your online accounts, bank, credit and debit card statements to check the account
and verify all transactions are justified
- Don't let as long as a month go by before you check each account. If you see anything suspicious,
immediately contact the appropriate institution.
Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied
Always report "phishing" or spoofed e-mails to the following groups:
Forward the email to reportphishing@antiphishing.com
Forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov
Forward the email to the "abuse" email address at the company that is being spoofed
(e.g. spoof@ebay.com)
When forwarding spoofed messages, always include the entire original email with its original header
information intact
Notify the Internet Fraud Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their website:
www.ifccfbi.gov/
Information contained on this page was retrieved from the Anti-Phishing Working Group. Go to http://www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html
for more detailed information. For further information about how to protect yourself, see Identity Theft: What to do if It Happens toYou at http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17a.htm. Read the information and tips put out by the Federal Trade Commission about phishing at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm. Read the Department of Justice's recent whitepaper "Special Report on Phishing" at http://www.antiphishing.org/DOJ_Special_Report_On_Phishing_Mar04.pdf
Beware of Phishing
