WWW arkcity.net

By TYLER GASKILL
Courier Staff Writer

A local credit union is warning its members of an e-mail scam circulating both locally and nationally in an attempt to get personal information from account holders.

Ark Valley Credit Union, based in Arkansas City and with a branch in Winfield, has been the target of an e-mail scam that sends potential account holders to a Web site that closely resembles the credit union's site.

The fake site asks for an account number and password, and after that information is entered, asks for the person's debit card information to reinstate the account that has supposedly been suspended.

This is where Ark Valley Credit Union Manager Mary Gillette said account holders should be tipped off that the site is a fake.

According to Gillette, the credit union would never use e-mail to notify account holders that their account has been suspended and would never ask for personal information, such as debit card numbers.

Gillette has been fielding calls from all over the U.S. asking about the e-mails, most from people puzzled as to why they have received them.

"Most people are asking if it's for real," Gillette said. "A lot of them are not members, and they're asking, 'Why am I getting this?'"

A scam alert has been added to the Ark Valley Credit Union Web site, warning of the e-mails and advising account holders on what they can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

The credit union has also contacted a company to help stop the fraudulent e-mails, which were continuing to be distributed as of late this morning.

"We have an anti-phishing company that blocked it yesterday," Gillette said, "but we're in contact with them today because it didn't work."

The added work for Gillette and others at Ark Valley Credit Union wasn't something they planned for, but they are dealing with as best they can.

"You think it can never happen to you," Gillette said, "but when it does, it hits home. It can happen."