Resource Center

Fraud Alerts

Turbo TAX EMAIL FRAUD Alert

If you receive emails that appear to be from TurboTax stating that "Your State Return Has Been Rejected," please be aware that these are not from New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union or TurboTax. Please do not open the attachment and do not forward the email. Delete the email.

TEXT MESSAGE FRAUD Alert

NOFFCU warns of a text message scam alerting members that their card has been deactivated. This is a scam. Please DO NOT respond to any suspicious text messages, and DO NOT call the phone number provided. NOFFCU will never ask for your private information by email, text, or telephone. If you receive a suspicious email, text, or phone call, DO NOT respond. Contact the credit union immediately at 504-889-9090. Please use the following link for tips on securing your mobile device: http://security.intuit.com/protect-your-mobile.html

VISA TRAVEL NOTICE:

We recommend that you notify us of any upcoming travel dates. We will notify Visa's fraud monitoring department so that your travel plans will not be interrupted. Email: noffcu@noffcu.org.

BEWARE of FRAUD with ONLINE PURCHASES

We have become aware of scam where people are claiming to sell large ticket items on the internet and asking the potential buyer to wire money for the purchase in advance stating that the merchandise will be delivered but it does not ever get delivered. Beware of large ticket items like boats, cars, RVs, motorcycles that are being sold online by individuals or retailers. Often times our members may ask us for assistance with these purchases by wiring funds on their behalf or applying for a loan. However, here are some steps that will hopefully help you prevent fraud and look out for scams:

1. Verify the collateral – get a copy of the title and verify its legitimacy. Our loan department has a guide that can assist with this.

2. Inspect the collateral – actually seeing the collateral before purchasing it is the best way to be certain it really exists.

3. Don’t wire funds prior to delivery – recovering a wire is likely impossible. Instead have the member meet the seller to transact the sale.

Protect Yourself from Phishing Attacks

Additional info on the Epsilon data breach

3-5-2011 ERS, INC. (Enterprise Recovery Systems)

Please be aware of a potential scam involving a company listed as ERS, INC. based in Oak Brook, Illinois. This company is established as a debt collection agency and have been known to call people to attach a debt to someone it may not belong to by asking the individual to identify that they have the right person by giving their social security number. Please refrain from giving out any part of your social security number to these callers.

After researching the phone number, 1-800-377-5000, several blogs with unfavorable posts appeared.

Please use extreme caution before volunteering any personal information to these or other ‘debt collectors’.

If contacted bythis companyor any other you feel may be a potential scam, you can file a complaint with:

The Federal Communications Commission @ http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.html

The Better Business Bureau @ http://www.bbb.org/

Dept of Justice @ http://www.justice.gov/

New Scam known as Smishing

Credit unions across the country are reporting that their member's are receiving unsolicited text messages. It's an attempt at Smishing, the latest form of phishing. In Smishing, an e-mail tries to lure a recipient into giving personal information via SMS, the communications protocol used to send text messages to a wireless device. The recent scam is targeting credit union and other financial institution members.

In smishing, the members receive a text message via cell phone warning that their bank account has been closed due to suspicious activity. It then tells them they need to call a certain phone number to reactivate the account.

Unsuspecting callers who dial the number provided in the text message will be taken to an automated voice mail box that prompts them to key in their credit card or debit card number, expiration date, and PIN to verify their information.

If you have a question concerning your account or credit/debit card, contact your financial institution using a telephone number obtained independently, such as the phone number from your statement, a telephone book, or other independent means.

BBB: Watch for Verified by Visa Scam

Identity thieves are constantly looking for ways to make scam emails more plausible, so they are now attempting to add creditability to such emails by including a "Verified by Visa" scheme.

The wording may be something like this: "Your credit card (specified) has been automatically enrolled in the Verified by Visa program. To ensure your card's security, it is important that you protect your card online with a personal password. Please take a moment to activate Verified by Visa now."

According to Bill Moak, President/CEO of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Mississippi, "Verified by Visa is a legitimate service that adds an additional layer of security to online credit card transactions. It is unfortunate that it has begun to appear as a topic of phishing emails."

These scam emails contain links to bogus sites, under the control of the hackers that prompt consumers to enter their credit card information. The messages usually end with a threat that failure to respond may temporarily disable the credit card in question. "Such threats should be a dead giveaway that the emails are scams," Moak continued.

Consumers should always be on guard when sharing their personal information in any way."

The BBB urges consumers to continually be vigilant whenever they receive solicitations for identity verification by phone, mail or email. To block solicitations, consumers should register on: