Some bad actors will try to profit or piggyback off any opportunity, including the pain of others. Unfortunately, other fraudsters may follow after a security breach by impersonating employees at a given organization.

Please note the following regarding how or how not ECU will engage its members for information:

ECU – A Division of WFCU Credit Union will not call or email members regarding any incident where asking for PACs or other personal information would be required.

ECU will NEVER call, text or email members in general to ask for your PAC, passwords or any other personal information including credit card number or account information, Social Insurance Numbers. If a request for this information is made using any of these methods, DO NOT provide your information. Immediately report the incident to 1.888.767.9535.

Members should also be mindful of the possibility of phishing emails and calls due to an incident. Tips on spotting fraudulent emails/messages are above.

Phishing is an attempt to acquire personal information, sometimes to compromise online banking accounts by posing as a legitimate company in an electronic communication. These emails are not from ECU. If you believe you have received a fraudulent email that claims to be from ECU – A Division of WFCU Credit Union:

• Do not reply to the email.
• Do not click on any of the links embedded in the email.
• Forward the email to info@myECU.ca.
• After forwarding the email to ECU – A Division of WFCU Credit Union for investigation, delete it.
• Monitor your account and call us if you notice any unusual activity.

ECU – A Division of WFCU Credit Union will not call or email members regarding any incident where asking for a PACs or any other personal information would be required.

If you have provided personal information over the phone or clicked on links in a fraudulent email, follow these additional steps:

1. Call us immediately at 1-888-767-9535 to report that your account information may have been compromised.
2. Sign in to your ECU – A Division of WFCU Credit Union Online Banking and change your password.
3. Check your accounts for suspicious activity.
4. Update and run anti-virus software on your computer.

In 2020, we are seeing a rise in the botnet Necurs. What is a botnet? Imagine the damage one infected computer can cause – compromising your email account, gathering sensitive information such as usernames and passwords, granting control of your system to a hacker. Now consider a huge group of these devices working together, that’s what a botnet can do. An attacker can remotely control all of the devices as a group to do things like sending spam messages, generating fake website traffic, distributing ads to everyone in the botnet or coercing payment from users in order to be removed from the botnet.

Necurs is known to use up to 6 million endpoints, delivering some of the worst banking Trojans and ransomware threats in batches of millions of emails at a time, and it keeps reinventing itself.

How does it happen?

Typically, this type of attack starts with a piece of malware that you are tricked into installing, such as:

• Through an email attachment, any type of document, that when downloaded triggers the installation of the malware.
• By clicking a link on an ad, such as a pop-up warning that your device has a virus, which will download and install the malware.
• A software download from an untrusted source that turns out to be malware

How can you protect yourself?

Botnets can be very difficult to detect without the use of antivirus software. Very often the attacker will simply use your device for small, seemingly regular tasks. This type of activity barely registers but when millions of computers carry out the same task simultaneously, the effect can be catastrophic.

Although botnet attacks can be extremely complex, keeping your computer or device from becoming part of a botnet is fairly simple. Here are some tips to keep you safe:

• Ensure you have a reputable antivirus program installed on your computer and run regular virus scans.
• Never download attachments from email senders you don’t know. In fact, be very careful about opening emails from unknown senders.
• If you receive an unexpected attachment from a known sender, be wary as well. Their computers could be infected, and the email unknowingly sent through the malware.
• Routinely update your software and operating system patches to protect against the daily creation of viruses and vulnerabilities.
• Avoid untrustworthy websites and ads. Be extremely cautious about downloading any software from websites you do not recognize.

Overall, the best protection is safe browsing and download behaviours and the installation of reputable anti-virus software. Keep it up-to-date and run regular health checks on your machine. Your anti-virus software should easily remove or block the botnet malware from your computer and prevent any future infections.

Romance and Emergency Scams use your own emotions against you to rob you of your money; and in a time of social isolation and financial uncertainty for many due to Covid-19, scammers are taking every opportunity they can to take money from unknowing victims.  Knowing what to look for and how to identify potential fraud scenarios can help protect you and your money. For tips and tricks on what you can do to protect yourself against falling victim to fraud click here.

With many members working or spending more time at home, they are interested in finding new ways to pass the time.  Online gaming may seem like a harmless way to have some fun – and it can be as long as you remain vigilant to potential fraud.

Please note that it is illegal for online gaming sites or hosts to request money to participate in any sort of gaming activity or for you to pay to participate in any online gaming.  Online gaming can include games of chance, bingo, raffles, poker, squares, etc., and must be run through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).  It is important that members do not send funds to or participate in games run through social media sites that are not properly licensed.

If you are asked to pay to play think twice – make sure the host holds or displays a valid license!