Two Phishing scams:

1. Identity thieves posing as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service are sending spam e-mails promising government economic stimulus packages.

2. Another scam that is being used promises more information on how to get “economic stimulus grants."

CUNA Mutual alerts credit unions of this risk. Please pass this information on to all appropriate employees. If your credit union has experienced a loss, contact our Credit Union Protection Response Center at 1-800-637-2676.

Details:

Identity thieves posing as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service are sending spam e-mails promising government economic stimulus packages. The message tells the user to download an attachment that is masked as a form they must fill out and send to the IRS to receive their check. However, the document really is an identity theft tool that steals the personal information entered in the form.

Another scam being used promises more information on how to get “economic stimulus grants.” They tempt users with fake testimonials such as, “I found the grant I needed and filled out the forms and sent them in, and in about two weeks I received a check in my hand for $100,000.” It leads to a marketing-type site in which you enter personal information such as salary range, e-mail address, mailing address, and date of birth purportedly to get a free CD that shows you how to claim one of these grants. To order the CD, you must enter credit card information for the postage and handling costs. You never get the CD—only a stolen identity.

Unfortunately, the threat of fraud due to phishing attempts continues to be very active. Fraudsters are increasing in sophistication, and this type of activity shows no sign of slowing down. In these economic times, it is even more critical to continue educating members on the various ways fraudsters try to obtain their personal information for financial gain.