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January 30, 2012 Warning: Text Message Scam

Someone is posing as the Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union in text messages! They are attempting to get the mobile phone user to call the telephone number provided in these text messages. The fraudster then attempts to get personal account information from the mobile phone user.

DO NOT RESPOND TO THESE TEXT MESSAGES!

The Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union will never ask a member to provide their personal information to an unsolicited telephone call, text message, fax, letter, e-mail, or Internet advertisement. If you are unsure if something you received is legitimately from the Credit Union, call (716) 847-6960 ext. 238.

Smishing is a phishing attack sent by Short Message Service (SMS). SMS is a service that allows the transmission of text messages between mobile phones and handheld devices. The message includes a link that, when accessed, takes you to a phishing site where you are prompted to download a program—a Trojan horse that may give the criminals access to your personal information.

Tips to safeguard yourself from Smishing:
Never respond to unsolicited e-mails or text messages; especially coming from people or companies that you do not have a relationship with or regarding services for which you have not contracted. Contact the financial institution or merchant via the regular channels you use to communicate with them.

Remember, for privacy and security, financial institutions do not arbitrarily solicit non-public information from you. Typically they would already have information based on the relationship you have previously established with them.

When you are accessing any accounts online, make it a habit to check for the small yellow lock in the bottom right of your screen. If it’s unlocked – you are not in a secure area of the Website.

If you receive a Smishing message, and you do want to check your account, disregard the recorded number and contact your financial institution through the customer service phone number on your statement or credit card.

Pay attention to the URL. Fraudsters cannot exactly mimic a company’s website URL, but will often insert one letter or symbol to make it appear legitimate.

Keep a record of services you sign up for on your mobile devices. If you receive a Smishing message for a service you don’t think you signed up for…you probably didn’t. Disregard the message.

When in doubt, do not respond to an email, voicemail or text message regarding an account. Contact your financial institution through regular channels.

If you receive multiple Phishing, Vishing or Smishing messages from a financial institution, bring it to their attention to help them uncover the fraud.


Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union is excited to announce AlertMe, a new credit-monitoring service designed to help members fight identity theft which is a growing problem that affects millions of Americans.  AlertMe gives early warning of activity on your credit report.  Since credit report activity can be a sign of possible identity theft, early detection can help you catch problems quickly to minimize losses!

AlertMe monitors your Experian credit file daily. New accounts, credit cards over the credit limit, and address changes are just a few of the items AlertMe monitors.  If an activity occurs, AlertMe will send you an email alerting you to the activity.  You can log into the AlertMe Web site to read details about the activity and determine if it is suspicious. AlertMe will also send an email to remind you to order your annual free credit reports.

The AlertMe cost is $4.25 month. Quarterly and annual plans are available at a reduced rate. To enroll or learn more, simply click here!

Alert Notification of VISA Debit/Credit Cards

Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union has been notified by VISA that an outside vendor's data base was broken into.  The Cardholders that may have been affected will have their cards blocked and reissued.

The Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union is taking immediate action by notifying our members by telephone or letter.  We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused however; we have a fiduciary obligation to protect all member accounts. 

We ask members who may have been affected to view their statements and report any suspicious transactions to the Credit Union at 716-847-6960.

The Visa Fraud Department has confirmed this incident is linked to TJX Companies (TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls, and A.J. Wright in the United States and HomeSense and Winners in Canada).  Click here for the News Release at TJX Companies.

Click here for more information of this growing trend of Identity Theft.

Victims of Identity Crime:  Click here to access information on how to contact the national consumer reporting agencies to place a "fraud alert" on your credit report.

Recently, there have been multiple e-mail fraud attempts, known as "Phishing,” that were initiated via e-mail sent to both the general public and to some credit union members that appeared to be from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). This false e-mail asked for the recipient to click on a link to verify their credit union account registration. If the recipient proceeded to do so, the link directed them to a false website and asked for their credit union account number and PIN, along with other personal information.

The NCUA does not ask credit unions members for such personal information. Anyone who receives an e-mail that purports to be from the NCUA and asks for account information should consider it to be a fraudulent attempt to obtain their personal account data for an illegal purpose and should not follow the instructions in the e-mail.

If you responded to such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please notify the Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union immediately of the scheme at (716) 847-6960 ext. 238.

If you feel that you have received a fraudulent phishing e-mail purportedly from the NCUA please forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov.

Additionally, you can file formal complaints concerning any suspected fraudulent e-mail with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.ic3.gov. The IFCC is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National White Collar Crime Center.

Check 21

As our member we think it's important for you to know about substitute checks. As a result, we want to advise you that you may begin to see differences when you receive your account statement, view you account information online or request a copy of your original check for proof of payment.