Alert: NCUA’s name and logo are being used in phishing spams

June 15, 2006, Alexandria, Va. – The National Credit Union Administration’s name, logo and website are being used repeatedly in spammed messages being distributed across the country in attempts to obtain personal account information and pin numbers.

Please be aware and alert credit union members never to respond to emails that appear to be official NCUA messages and surveys. As a federal agency, NCUA would not directly contact credit union members and never ask for personal account information.

The following link provides a downloadable brochure specifically for credit union members, which includes tips on how to combat electronic identify theft. http://www.ncua.gov/Publications/brochures/IdentityTheft/PhishBrochure-Web.pdf.

Instructions are available online at http://www.ncua.gov/Phishing/phishing.htm for individuals who receive phishing emails.

The National Credit Union Administration is the independent federal agency that regulates, charters and supervises federal credit unions. NCUA, backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, also operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), insuring the deposits of 85 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the majority of state-chartered credit unions. NCUA is funded by credit unions, not federal tax dollars.