


To launch a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity. However, by asking questions, he or she may be able to piece together enough information to infiltrate an organization's network. If an attacker is not able to gather enough information from one source, he or she may contact another source within the same organization and rely on the information from the first source to add to his or her credibility.
Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email or malicious web sites to solicit personal, often financial, information. Attackers may send email seemingly from a reputable credit card company or financial institution that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts.
How do you avoid being a victim?
1. Keep personal financial information, like account numbers, in a safe place.
2. Don't keep PINs, passwords or your social security number in your purse or wallet.
3. Monitor your billing statements for suspicios activity.
4. Shred sensitive documents.
5. Request a free credit report at least once a year from annualcreditreport.com. Report any errors you find immediately.
6. Portect your computer by keeping your anti-viral, firewall and other software up-to-date.
7. Delete e-mail or text messages if you don't know who the sender is or if the offer sounds too good to be true.
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GECU has been alerted to a fraudulent e-mail being sent to our members about their GECU MasterCard credit card, MasterMoney debit card or ATM card. This e-mail instructs members to click on a link to reactivate a card that was compromised and closed. If you should receive an e-mail of this type, do not respond and delete it immediately. GECU will never request personal account information from you by phone or e-mail. If you have responded to this e-mail and provided your personal account information, please call SmartCall immediately at 915.778.9221 (toll-free, 1.800.772.GECU).
US-CERT continues to receive reports of phishing scams that target online users. Most recently, users have reported receiving emails that appear to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The phishing email claims to offer a tax refund and requests users to click on a link to provide personal and possibly sensitive information. Identity thieves could use this information to further compromise unsuspecting victims.
A spokesperson for the IRS has confirmed that they do not solicit anything by email.
Forget Phish, Beware of RATS
Phishing, Skimming and now RATS? That's right! RATs or Remote Access Trojans are the latest wave in Internet identity theft. The worst part, RATS are silent and you won't know they're on your computer.
If you believe you have been a victim of a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) after logging into your GECU account, contact SmartCall at 915.778.9221 (Toll free 1.800.772.GECU).
Information for this article used with the permission of NewsChannel 9. If you're a savvy computer user and download information from the Internet onto your PC, you may be familiar with LimeWire; if not, downloaders beware! Designed as a free person-to-person information sharing program, LimeWire is used primarily for downloading music and video files. Unfortunately, if not installed and configured properly, LimeWire can disable your computer's firewall and enable other Internet users to view all information stored on your hard drive. Before using LimeWire, please make sure your PC firewall is intact and functioning properly. Taking this necessary precaution will reduce the exposure of personal information stored on your PC to the risk of identity theft. ATMs are a fast and easy way to withdraw cash, check account balances and deposit or transfer funds. Hand-in-hand with the convenience of 24/7 access provided by ATMs is the need to exercise caution. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your money when using an ATM.
LimeWire - Downloaders Beware!
ATM Safety And You
Sent by computer hackers, two primary methods used to sneak RATS on to your PC are through music download and electronic greeting card sites.
RATs are patient. They wait for you to log on to your financial institution website, type in your account number or user ID and password. It then transmits your information from your PC to the hacker.
Anti-virus and spyware software can help, but you are your best defense. Be careful how you use your computer. Stay clear of unfamiliar websites and don't reply to every pop-up or unauthorized e-mail.