Fraud Protection

Malware, indicating malicious content, includes viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, or any other software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system, steal personal information, and commit fraud.

There are several easy ways you can minimize malware risk:

• Never download a file or attachment unless you are absolutely certain what it is and who sent it.
• Never click on an advertisement asking for personal or financial information.
• Update your security and system software to protect your computer from these threats.

Viruses are harmful programs transmitted in numerous ways. Although they differ, they’re designed to spread themselves from one computer to another through the Internet and cause havoc. Most commonly, they give the criminals access to infected machines.

The terms spyware and adware apply to several different technologies. Two important things to know about them are:

• • They can download themselves onto your computer without your permission (typically when you visit an unsafe Web site or click on an attachment).
  • They often make your machine do things you don’t want it to do. This might be as simple as opening a pop-up ad or as complicated and nefarious as tracking your online movements, stealing your passwords, and compromising your accounts.

A Trojan horse is a harmful code contained inside what would otherwise be harmless programming or data. The horse takes control and does its chosen form of damage, such as ruining the file allocation table on your hard disk. In one celebrated case, the Trojan was a program that was supposed to find and destroy computer viruses.

We’ve all received unsolicited offers through email, better known as spam. Many fraudsters use spam to gather personal information to steal your money and/or your identity. Criminals may also send attachments and links that will lead you to spoof sites or cause you to inadvertently download harmful software.

Never email your personal information to an unknown source. You may be enticed by offers of limited-only or buy now and save, but this is always fraudulent. No legitimate business would deny you the time to check out their claims.

If you don’t know the source of an email, delete it. Even if a co-worker or friend you trust sends you a link or attachment, it may be infected.

And remember to keep your computer firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software up to date.

Phishing and spoofing communications look like official Weber State Credit Union emails, but force you to visit a fake site and enter your personal account information. These emails may also ask you to call a phone number and provide account details.

Ways to identify phishing and spoofing emails include:

• Links that appear to be from Ascent Credit Union but aren’t. If you place your cursor over a link in a suspicious email, your program most likely shows you the destination URL. Do not click the link, but look closely at the URL: One that is formatted ascentcu.fakewebsite.com is taking you to a fraudulent address. Just because ascentcu is part of the URL does not guarantee it is official.
• Requests for personal information. Ascent Credit Union emails will never ask you to reply with any personal information, such as your Social Security Number or Personal Identification Number (PIN).
• Urgent appeals. We will never claim your account may be closed if you fail to confirm, verify, or authenticate your personal information via email.
• Messages about system and security updates. We won’t seek confirmation of important information via email due to system upgrades.
• Offers that sound too good to be true. Never fill out a customer service survey in exchange for money.
• Obvious typos and other errors. These are often the mark of fraudulent emails and Web sites. Also, be on the lookout for poor visual design.

Malware can be installed on your smartphone to steal sensitive information and data. More sophisticated types of these problems are expected to surge as cyber criminals catch up with the latest mobile technologies.

One of the ways malware can access your device is through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Because a smartphone can easily be connected to wireless networks, malware is easier to download. Only use secure and trusted Wi-Fi and only accept Bluetooth connections from people you know. Keep Bluetooth off when you aren’t using it.

Criminals may develop and publish fake mobile banking applications that look official, but are fabrications designed to steal your Online Banking credentials. Only download the Weber State Credit Union Mobile Banking applications from trusted sources, such as the Apple App Store. To help protect your accounts and information, don’t use any app if you detect these or other warning signs:

• • The app’s developer or author is not Weber State Credit Union.
  • The app is being promoted on a third-party site, somewhere other than the official store.
  • There is a charge for downloading the app – it costs nothing to obtain this Weber State Credit Union service.

SMShing – pronounced “smishing” – is fraud occurring via text message. A criminal sends you a text to trick you into replying with financial or personal information, or by clicking on links that will sneak viruses on to your mobile device. Never respond to an SMS text message that requests this crucial data. Weber State Credit Union will never ask for your information this way.

Criminals can use fake numbers to contact you, so caller ID isn’t a sure sign that the call is legitimate. Ascent Credit Union will never ask you for your PIN. We will also never ask for important personal information over the phone, such as your account password, Social Security or account numbers.

Scammers will try and get as much information out of you as quickly as possible. They’ll use urgent language or high-pressure tactics to make you feel like you need to answer their questions immediately. Don’t be afraid to take time to analyze what’s going on and to ask clarifying questions. Trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, hang up.

If you are questioning if the call is legitimate, find the official contact information for the company to verify that they tried to contact you. For example, if you receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from Ascent Credit Union, you can contact the Help Center team at 801-399-9728 and ask them if the call was from us.

The Internet has more transaction and business offerings than ever before. An individual can bid on a luxury item and a business owner can advertise to a global market at a click of the button. However, as a consumer, you must be aware that Web-based scams are as varied and abundant as legitimate opportunities.

We’ve listed some of the most common scams and some ways to identify them. For more detailed information, please consult the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Internet auction fraud involves the misrepresentation or non-delivery of advertised products and is among the top consumer complaints to the FTC.

To help protect yourself, know the auction site and discover what protections it offers, such as guarantees for services not delivered.

You should never have to provide your Social Security or driver’s license number electronically.

Do not enter your account information until you have done your research and are ready to make your purchase.

It’s likely you’ll be using an online payment method such as PayPal. Check out the company handling transaction by reading their Web site and calling their customer service line to ask specific questions about their security policy and terms of service.

Be cautious of sellers who give the appearance of being within the United States but reveal themselves to be out of the country.

Wiring funds directly to the seller leaves you with no options if you are a victim of Internet auction fraud. Even wires through well-known banks or an escrow service will not protect you.

Lottery and sweepstakes scams are on the rise. Operators, often based in Canada, are using email, telephone calls, faxes, and direct mail to trick U.S. consumers into believing they’ve won large sums of cash through foreign lotteries.

The details of the lottery scams vary with regard to the name of the promotion, the country of origin, the sponsoring organization, the amount of the prize, and other particulars. Scammers will attempt to add legitimacy to their claims by mentioning real financial institutions, government agencies, or well-known companies.

In this type of fraud, you may receive a notice that you are the winner of a lottery or sweepstakes you did not enter and you’ll be asked to provide financial details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver’s license and passport to prove your identity and receive your winnings. If you comply with these requests, the scammers will have enough information to steal your identity. In order to receive the full amount of the supposed award, you must first pay a small percentage for fake taxes or other fees through Western Union. This money is then stolen and you’ll never see your so-called prize.

Do not respond to emails/letters/faxes claiming you have won money. Never give out your confidential personal or account information to anyone in this scenario. Participation in foreign lotteries is against the law.

Someone responds to your posting or ad and offers to use a cashier’s check, personal check, or corporate check to pay for the item you’re selling. At the last minute, the so-called buyer (or someone acting as his or her agent) comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price, and asks you to return the difference after you deposit the check. You agree and wire the excess funds. Later, the check bounces, leaving you liable for the entire amount.

Overpayment fraud is primarily perpetuated by Internet-based transactions (i.e., eBay or Craigslist), but it can also be conducted over the phone. Scams frequently consist of a counterfeit cashier’s check or another monetary instrument for an item’s payment. The false piece looks legitimate and often contains watermarks and other security features. The check amount is usually greater than the purchase price. The seller or business then deposits the fraudulent check, which later bounces.

In any transaction, independently confirm the buyer’s name, street address, and telephone number. Don’t accept a check for more than the selling price, no matter how tempting. If the buyer insists you wire back funds, end the proceeding immediately.

Another common Internet crime involves advertising positions allowing people to work as independent agents or from their homes.

Scammers use reputable online job boards to offer at-home accounting work and the opportunity to perform other electronic tasks. Any new employees may be required to receive money into their existing accounts (or open new accounts), then transfer the funds, often overseas. As payment, the employment seeker is instructed to keep a small percentage of the transfer.

Be cautious of any offer without an interview (either in person or by phone). Do not engage in requests to transfer funds or receive packages for shipment. Most of these are check-cashing or shipping scams. Never give out your Social Security Number or any other sensitive information unless you are confident an employer is legitimate.

www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts

A romance scam, also known as an online dating scam, is when a person is tricked into believing they’re in a romantic relationship with someone they met online. In fact, their “other half” is a cybercriminal using a fake identity to gain enough of their victim’s trust to ask — or blackmail — them for money.

Often, the advances start on dating sites or apps. But they’ve increasingly begun on social media, too.

Here are some telltale signs a cybercriminal may be up to more than just sweeping you off your feet.

They’re far, far away

One of the first giveaways of a romance scammer is their background. Fakers often pose as someone who is stationed abroad to create a reason for why they can’t meet in person.

Their profile seems too good to be true

A dating profile might be fake if the person doesn’t list any details. Or maybe their interests and hobbies just about exactly match yours — the similarities might be too good to be true.

The relationship moves fast

Romance scammers want to act fast before their targets catch on to their antics. For this reason, they like to gain your trust right away. Many online dating sites offer some type of safety features and if you move your conversation off them to talk using text messages or other chat options, you lose those safety measures. Plus, the person will have your phone number, which could make it harder to cut communication.

They break promises to visit

Romance scammers want to keep their identities a secret. One way to keep you from questioning their identity is to promise to come visit. They may even have you pay for plane tickets or other travel costs. But they’ll cancel at the last minute, providing an elaborate reason for why they can’t see you after all.

They claim they need money

If your online love interest asks you for money and you haven’t even met them, beware. A romance scammer may ask you to send money for things like travel expenses, medical expenses or gambling debts. And they usually have a sob story to back up their request.

An alternate money scam to watch for: They may send you money! This could rope you into a “money mule” scheme, whereby the scammer asks to deposit money into your bank account, distribute the funds to other people, or deliver packages. In fact, these requests could be tied to money-laundering.

They ask for specific payment methods

Be cautious if your cyber sweetheart asks you to send them money via wire transfer, preloaded gift cards or a newly-established bank account in your name.

These are ways to get cash quickly and remain anonymous. Plus, the transactions are hard to reverse. Once you send a little bit of money, they might even ask for more. If you say “no,” their messages may get desperate and aggressive.