Stay Secure on the Internet

Your first defense against identity thieves and other scam artists is being aware of the fraudulent activity that may be taking place.

Because financial institutions are a prime target of this type of criminal activity, we feel that it is important to let you know when we receive notification of a particular scam e-mail, phone call, text message, etc.

This information is not meant to scare you or to make you wary of doing your business online. On the contrary, it should serve to reassure you by providing you with examples of actual fraudulent e-mails, phone scams, etc.  If you receive an unexpected e-mail, phone call, letter, text message, etc., in which you are asked for your personal or financial information, check here - you may see immediately that it is a scam.

If you feel that the message may be legitimate, play it safe. Enter the company's known web address in your browser and contact them through their established site. Do not click on a link or call a telephone number that is provided in an unexpected message!

If you should receive any unexpected e-mail, phone or text message that seems to be from Tyndall and are unsure about it, please do not hesitate to contact us.  If it is an e-mail, please forward the suspicious message to us at alerttfcu@tyndall.org so that we can take the steps necessary to shut down any related fraudulent site.  If it is another form of message, please e-mail us the details.

Please do not include your member number or any sensitive, personal information in this email - it is not a secure email.

Please note:  Tyndall does not use text messages to communicate with members at the present time.

 
Scam Messages Related to Tyndall Federal

These are examples of some of the latest scams that have been circulating, including samples of actual fraudulent e-mails.

• August 12, 2010 - Scam Phone Call
  
  As you may be aware, legislation is going into effect next week regarding Overdraft Coverage. Since all financial institutions will have to comply with this new law, this is a prime opportunity for scammers.
  
  Many institutions, including Tyndall, are calling their members/customers to ask them about Opting-In to Courtesy Pay Overdraft Coverage. 
  
  We have been made aware that someone seems to be making random calls to people in our area, saying that she is from Tyndall. The person asks for your account number to supposedly verify whether or not you have opted-in to Courtesy Pay.
  
  Please do not provide this information!
  
  While we are calling some of our members about this, we will not ask for your member number, your PIN, your Social Security Number, etc. by phone.
  
  

• July 1, 2010 - Scam Phone Call
  
  Your Tyndall Federal Credit Union debit card has been blocked.  Please press 1 for more information.
  
  (the phone number that sometimes appears in Caller ID is 714-505-3945)
  
  

• June 17, 2010 - Scam Phone Call
  
  Your Tyndall Federal Credit Union card has been blocked due to suspicious activity.  Please press 1 to enter your card number and have it unblocked.
  
  (the phone number that sometimes appears in Caller ID is 310-362-4346)
  
  

• December 21, 2009 - Scam Text message
  (the "sender" of the message varies)
  
  Your credit union account has been frozen
  Please call 866-241-0118 to reactivate.

If you should mistakenly give your debit or credit card information to these scammers, please call and have the card blocked immediately!

• During business hours - Call us at 850-747-4300 or 888-896-3255, toll-free
• After business hours or on holidays - Call 1-800-VISA911 (1-800-847-2911)
  
  

Other Scams that Request your Financial Information

Although financial institutions are a prime target of scam e-mails, phone calls and text messages, many other well-known organizations/companies are consistently targeted as well.  From time to time, we are alerted to fraudulent e-mails and other types of messages that are supposedly from organizations related to the Credit Union industry (NCUA, CUNA, etc.) or from other well-known companies.   If you receive an e-mail that seems to be from NCUA, CUNA, or the IRS, for example, and the message is asking you to confirm, verify, or update your account information, it is a scam. The logos may look real, but these e-mails are not from these organizations/companies.  Do not respond to these e-mails.  As mentioned above, if you think the e-mail may be legitimate, go directly to the known web address from your web browser and contact the company through that site.

• June 2010 - There is a fraudulent text message circulating that states: "accountalert@lscu.coop (SCU) Southeastern Credit Unions Security Notice. For more details, please contact our secure phone line at 866.510.8703. Thank you."
  
  This message is not being sent by the League of Southeastern Credit Unions (LSCU) - a third party is attempting to collect account information from people who call this number.  Do not key in any information when you receive such a text. Report the text message to your cell phone carrier so that the carrier can take action against the person sending the message. 
  
  Always use your credit union's published phone number when contacting them - do not use a number proved in an unsolicited email or text message.
  
  
• June 2010 - Fraudulent Phone Call in which a recorded message informs you that your SunTrust account has been deactivated due to suspicious activity. It then instructs you to call their Security Department at 214-377-5991 to have your account reactivated. 
  
  This same phone number has been involved in numerous fraudulent schemes over the last few years.
  
  
  
• May 2010 - Fraudulent Email pretending to come from the NCUA and asking you to participate in an online survey or member survey. The email continues to tell you they will pay you $40 for participating but, of course, they need your account information in order to give you the money. This is a scam.
  
  
  
• January 2010 - Your VISA Card - Possible Fraudulent Transaction
  
  
  
• January 2010 - Fifth Third Bank
  
  
  
• January 2010 - Vonage
  
  
  
• January 2010 - FBI Scam email
  
  
  
• January 2010 - Western Union Scam email
  
  
  
• June 2009 - US Post Office Scam email
  
  

Guard your account information as you guard your wallet.

Do not provide your account number, check/debit card number, credit card number, PIN, or other financial information to anyone through a link in an e-mail.  You should not provide it to anyone by phone either, unless you initiated the call and are certain you are speaking with the correct person.