Alert Details
This is a BREAKING FRAUD ALERT that
is potentially targeting credit union members across the country. CUNA was
alerted to this only last night (8/6) by a credit union in Illinois and today
the same email has shown up in Vermont.
This is a two part scam. Part one is a somewhat legitimate looking phishing email (see below) that, compared to most, is fairly well written and attractively presented with colored boxes around it (which have been removed below). Part two is the link (also removed) that takes you to a very credible spoof website of CUNA's Strategic Services page where similar information to the email directs the victim to complete a form. Presumably this is where the victim will enter their personal information, although we have not done so, as this was sufficient to prove it was a scam.
What makes this scam even more dangerous is that the link in the phishing email points to the website of what appears to be a marketing and design firm in Houston, TX called Dreampod.com. It is likely that this is also a fraudulent website, set up to further trap unsuspecting victims by reassuring them that a legitimate company is behind the CUNA promotion. The lack of a telephone number on the site, and only one email address being provided on their "Contact Us" page, makes the likelihood much higher that this is a fraudulent website.
This elaborate and well created scam is significantly more advanced than most phishing attempts and represents a threat to any credit union member who receives the phishing email. We strongly encourage you to bring this to the attention of your employees and members. Our report to CUNA was the second that they have received and they are working the problem from their end ... more information will be made available as we have it.
Text of phishing email: