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The Security Center brings you safety tips, security notices and the most current scam alerts to help protect you and your security online.
5/1/2020 - Now more than ever, it is Westerra's priority to ensure that our members are well equipped with the essential resources and education involving Covid-19 stimulus check scams. As the Federal Government begins to send out checks to tens of millions of Americans, part of a massive Coronavirus Aid and relief package, scammers are looking for ways to deceive individuals.
Examples of Fraud:
What You Should Know:
Here are a some additional sites with more information on stimulus checks and scams:
Westerra is here to support our members and our community during these uncertain times. We want to ensure that you feel confident that we are here to protect you and your funds. Please feel free to reach out to Westerra's fraud team if you have any questions or concerns.
3/19/2020 - The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been a windfall for fraudsters as they exploit the global thirst for knowledge on the virus. Fraudsters have launched Coronavirus-themed phishing attacks to deliver malware –typically credential-stealing banking Trojans. The phishing emails purport to be from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO posted an article on its website warning users of this scam. We want our members to be aware of these scams.
Fraudsters have also exploited Johns Hopkins University’s interactive Coronavirus dashboard containing an interactive map that tracks Coronavirus statistics by region. Cybersecurity firms have identified several fake Coronavirus interactive maps that infect user devices with credential-stealing malware. Fraudsters are circulating links to these malicious websites containing Coronavirus maps through social media and phishing emails.
Security blogger Brian Krebs reported several Russian cybercrime forums started selling infection kits that exploits John Hopkins University’s interactive Coronavirus dashboard as part of a Java-based malware deployment scheme.
There have also been reports of other Coronavirus-themed phishing campaigns aiming to spread malware, including:
Coronavirus advice-themed phishing emails purporting to provide advice on how to protect against the virus. The emails might claim to be from medical experts near Wuhan, China where the Coronavirus started.
Workplace policy-themed phishing emails about Coronavirus targeting an organization’s employees. For example, the emails may purport to come from the organization’s HR department alerting employees of a new pandemic policy.
1/17/2020 - Westerra's Fraud team has detected numerous accounts where our members (mostly minors) are being targeted by a fraud ring on social media that instructs them to provide their online banking credentials and their debit card number and PIN. The fraudsters then deposit multiple $200 checks into the member's account via remote deposit capture (taking a photo of the check) and then withdraws the funds via ATM, at a branch or at retail point of sale location. The majority of the targeted members are in Aurora and in east Denver.
Please be sure to review your transaction history to look for suspicious activity and contact Westerra with any questions or concerns.
Read more in the Dec. 31, 2019 article on CBS Denver4.
Tips for Avoiding Fraudulent Cashier's Checks:
Possible Scenarios that may involve Fraudulent Cashier’s Checks:
You can learn about current fraud scams by contacting your financial institution, through the National Consumers League, the Consumer Federation of America or by visiting the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC), a website monitored by the FBI in regards to online scams.
According to Regulation CC (Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks), financial institutions are required to make up to $5,000 in cashier’s checks immediately accessible. However, just because you’ave been given provisional credits, the check may not be good. The check still has to clear from the institution from which it was generated. This check clearing process generally takes 7-10 business days. If you have any doubt about the validity of a cashier’s check, do not deposit the check. Please be weary that cashing a fraudulent check can negatively impact you.
If you have additional questions, or want to make sure a Westerra check is valid, please call us at 303-321-4209.
As you know, Equifax has announced a data breach, potentially impacting 143 million customers. Equifax recommends you go to the website they have set up for consumers to see if you were affected at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. You can also call the Equifax call center at 866-447-7559. They have set up protection measures you can take advantage of because of the breach.
In light of this incident, Westerra also recommends the following:
Westerra will continue to apply our security practices in the best interest of our membership.