NEW EMPLOYMENT SCAMS

4/26/10: Credit Union members, who are seeking employment, are falling victim to a new internet hiring scam where fraudsters are using the newly hired person's account at the CU to move money.

The Scam: Fraudsters are setting up what looks to be a new employment opportunity on the internet and hiring people to work from their homes. The newly hired person (the member) is being used to move money through their account and losses are occurring. Reports show that the hiring company deposits funds into the member’s personal account as an ACH credit. The member is then asked to withdraw part or all of the funds and wire the money to the hiring companies “business partners”.

Loss Prevention - Be wary of work at home scams; use the Better Business Bureaus to check out companies and notify the CU of employment-related activities that involve your personal accounts.

HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FRAUD ALERT

01/13/10 -- The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:

• Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
• Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
• Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.
• Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) via www.ic3.gov