Credit Card Fraud and Regulations

This summer CME Federal Credit Union was a target of a phishing scam. Members and non members may have received an email, text message or phone call that is allegedly from CME Federal Credit Union stating that the home banking service has expired or their credit card has been compromised. The email askedrecipients to renew the service or your account will be closed. The text message was informing members that their accounts had been suspended due to fraudulent activity. Phone calls state their credit card account had been compromised. CME Federal Credit Union DID NOT originate such an email or text message and encourages all recipients to delete and disregard the email, text message or phone call.

To make sure you are not a victim of ID theft check your monthly statements on a regular basis and provide CME with your most recent contact information, cell phone and home phone number.

Please contact CME before you leave the United States. Due to an increase in international counterfeit cards, CME has blocked card usage in most foreign countries, including the countries of Romania, Spain, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, North Korea and Lithuania. You will not have use of your CME Great Card for purchases or ATM usage in these countries.

Protect Your Identity

FRAUD ALERT! - Email scam

Our members have been reporting a new internet scam. Some have received
e-mails from America's Credit Union saying that their card has been compromised. When they call the given phone number the first thing that they are asked to give is their card number. The e-mail also asks for the card number, pin number and expiration date. Please be mindful of the information you share with others!

FRAUD ALERT! - Email scam

It has been reported that an e-mail, disguised as coming from U.S. Central, is currently being sent to credit unions and their members across the U.S. This email -- explained further below -- is NOT, in fact, from U.S. Central. It is an apparent phishing scam to obtain financial and account access information and defraud members.
View a version of the phishing email text used by scammers.

FRAUD ALERT! - current Internet Fraud alerts from CME, NCUA, CUNA and NAFCU.

NEW Alert for CME Members
1. Do not reply to any emails from Card Services for Credit Unions (CSCU). The email will ask you to take a survey. DO NOT reply to this email. It is phishing. CSCU did NOT send any emails out to cardholders and does NOT have cardholder data on file. Erase this email immediately.

2. There have been reports of fraudulent emails sent to CME members asking them to enroll in a "secure, fraud free credit card system from VISA." This is a PHISHING email. CME will never send out emails asking for your personal information, pin, account numbers, etc. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS WITHIN THESE EMAILS. Report any suspicious emails to CME, and then delete the email immediately.

• CUNA - CUNA is aware of new phishing emails in the form of surveys asking for feedback on your financial institution. These messages are scams and should be deleted.
• NCUA - The latest phishing scam tries to lure unsuspecting victims by encouraging them to read new share insurance rules from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).The e-mail claimed a new credit union member database is being created and tells the recipient to enter their personal information for inclusion in the database. This is a scam email and should be deleted.
• NAFCU - A bogus e-mail appearing to come from NAFCU, directed recipients to click on a link to update their account information. This is not a valid site. It is phishing. Recipients of this e-mail are urged not to respond to it or click on any of the links contained in it asking you to update your credit card information.

“We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.”

“During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information.”

Have you received email with a similar message? It’s a scam called “phishing” — and it involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims.

REMEMBER: CME will never solicit e-mails requesting your credit union username, password, pin number, or other personal identity information.

Read through this page for further information and helpful links.

General Information
The links below offer general information about identity theft, how to avoid it, and what to do if you suspect your identity had been compromise

Account Fraud

Become the first line of defense against account fraud. This brochure will give you the information you need to protect yourself, minimize your risks and where to turn for help if you are a victim.

Additional information about fraud is available from:
The National Check Fraud Center at www.ckfraud.org or 843-571-2143.

Credit Reporting Agencies
It's a good idea to check your credit report periodically. Starting in 2005 as a provision of the Fair and Accurate Transactions Act (FACT Act) Ohioans can get a free copy of their credit report every year. Here is the contact information:

Internet Fraud
Internet "phishing" scams are one of the fastest growing frauds today. Phishing typically involves a bogus e-mail message that uses legitimate materials, such as credit union or other organization's website graphics and logos-- the "look and feel" --in an attempt to entice e-mail recipients to provide personal financial details, such as account information, credit card and Social Security numbers.

Take some simple precautions:

• Never respond to an unsolicited e-mail that asks for personal financial information.
• Report anything suspicious to the proper authorities. Alert the credit union or government agency identified in the suspect e-mail through a web address or telephone number that you know is legitimate.
• Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov --a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center --if you think you have received a phishing e-mail or have been directed to a phishy-looking website.

Personal Information Resources
It's a good idea to check on your non-credit-specific personal information, too. Here are a couple places to look:

Opt-Out Services
"Opting out" can help reduce the telemarketing and junk mail you receive...and it can help decrease your chances of a solicitation resulting in an identity theft