Some of our members have been surprised by an e-mail from "administrator@stcu.net." Others may have received one from "security@stcu.org."
Those addresses don't exist at Spokane Teachers Credit Union. Rather, they came from somebody not affiliated with the Credit Union who wants to steal your money, slow the Internet, or crash your computer. Don't take the bait!
New strains of scam e-mail pop up daily, but they can generally be lumped into two categories -- spoofing and phishing. Spoofing is an e-mail designed to look authentic and trick you into opening it to release a malicious computer virus.
Phishing is a more serious e-mail because it's fishing for a sucker willing to hand over his or her identity. These e-mails appear to come from a trusted source such as the Internal Revenue Service or Homeland Security. The e-mail directs you to a website where you're asked to verify your credit card numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers and other personal information. The e-mail and website may look authentic. They may claim that your information is needed to resolve an investigation, to collect lottery winnings, or even to stop identity theft. But they're bogus. Only later, after you've handed over your identity to a stranger, will you learn the ugly truth about Internet crime.
The National Credit Union Administration is asking credit union members to report anyone who claims in an e-mail to represent a financial institution or government agency, who is seeking your personal information. Please forward the actual e-mail spam to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov.
Because e-mail is not private, you should always be on guard when communicating through the Internet. Here are some guidelines for using e-mail:
Receiving a surprise e-mail from anyone is the first clue that a crook is baiting your hook. You should never feel compelled to open an e-mail from a stranger. If it's that important, the sender will call you.
Spokane Teachers does not send unsolicited e-mail, so if you weren't expecting a message from us, it's probably not ours. STCU e-mail is currently sent only by subscription to 1) deliver a notice that your electronic statement is ready; or 2) to deliver our electronic newsletter. These subscription-based e-mails typically are sent:
Finally, never disable your updates to any Microsoft software or antivirus software. These systems can catch most viruses before they enter your e-mail inbox. Keeping your system up to date -- and using some common sense -- are the least expensive ways to protect your home or office from spoofing and phishing.
Learn more about the STCU monthly e-newsletter.
Learn more about preventing identity theft.
Learn more about spyware and browser security.
