Unity Bank

1/31/2013 - E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC � January 30, 2013

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of fraudulent e-mails that have the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

While the e-mails exhibit variations in the "From" and "Subject" lines, the messages are similar.

The fraudulent e-mails are addressed to the attention of the "Accounting Department" and meant to notify recipients that that that "ACH and WIRE transactions" are being blocked until "a special security software" is installed.

They then instruct recipients to go to a Web site for instructions on how to download the necessary files by clicking on a hyper-link provided (Note: the Web site addresses (URL) vary widely).

This e-mail and link are fraudulent. Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto end users' computers. Recipients should not click on the link provided.

The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers or business account holders.

1/8/2013 - Unity Bank Website Scam

A fraudulent website resembling Unity Bank's official website is in operation. If you are/were a recipient of a text message and/or email directing you to www.unitymicrofinancebank.net and have provided personal information to include your online banking username, password, account number, and/or social security number, please contact us immediately at 1-800-618-BANK. Click on the file below to view an image of the fraudulent website.

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6/11/2012 - PSE&G warns customers about nationwide payment scam

Scammers ask for personal information such as social security numbers

PSE&G is alerting its customers about a nationwide phony bill payment program that promises to credit or pay utility bills in exchange for personal information, including social security numbers. The scam, which has been reported in a number of states, claims that President Barack Obama is providing credits or applying payments to utility bills.

Here's how the scam works:

Someone calls a utility customer and tells them that the federal government has a program to pay utility bills on a one-time basis.
Customers are asked to provide their social security numbers to apply for the program.
The scammers then give customers a phony federal reserve bank number. Customers are told to enter the phony bank number to pay their utility bills online or receive a credit. While it initially appears that the customer's bill has been paid (or credit applied), no government funds are applied to the customer's account, and the account balance remains due. Some PSE&G customers have reported that they entered the false information, and then called the company to verify that the payment was made by the government on their behalf.
According to reports, the scammers are also emailing, texting and using social media to reach customers.

What you should know:

Customers should be assured that PSE&G account information is protected and that no one should be contacting customers requesting social security numbers, or usernames or passwords for customers who use online account services. To help protect the security of PSE&G accounts, PSE&G will not contact customers to request their social security number, as well as username or password for customers who use online account services, such as PSE&G's myAccount.
When PSE&G makes an outbound phone call to customers, automated or manually, the caller ID will identify the call as coming from PSE&G. The PSE&G representative will ask appropriate security questions and provide predetermined information to confirm customer identity. If customers do not receive these pieces of information, they likely are not speaking with a PSE&G representative. If customers feel uncomfortable and they know they have an outstanding balance that needs to be resolved, they should hang up and call PSE&G directly at 1-800-436-7734, or visit a local PSE&G Customer Service Center. Service Centers are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with locations listed on customer bills. Addresses also are available online at: http://www.pseg.com/centers

What to do if you are contacted:

If you receive a phone call, email or other communication purporting to be from PSE&G requesting your social security number, username or password, please do not provide it. Nor should you click on any links or respond in any manner. Send an email to PSE&G's security department at PSEG-BAandR@pseg.com with details about what occurred.
If you believe you are a victim of this scam, notify the proper authorities, such as local police and report the incident to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) at (800) 242-5846 or (973) 504-6200. If you entered the phony bank number to pay your bill, please remove it from your online bill payment information. Please remember that no government funds were applied to your account and your balance remains due.

Customers who have doubts about the legitimacy of any call from PSE&G, especially one in which payment is requested, should call PSE&G directly.

6/11/2012 - PSE&G warns customers about nationwide payment scam

http://www.pseg.com/info/media/newsreleases/2012/2012-05-25.jsp

3/9/2012 - N.J. warns residents of scam letter purporting to come from attorney general

A mailing that appears to come from a state agency asks potential victims to reveal personal information.

A letter that some residents have received inviting them to collect money from a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit is a �cleverly designed scam", New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said Thursday.

The 11-page mailing appears to come from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, bears the logo and seal of the agency, and is signed by someone named Edward Thompson, who claims to be the state's attorney general.

It asks potential victims to reveal personal information, including Social Security numbers and banking information, to collect proceeds from a fictitious class-action lawsuit against Argus Capital and the Wentworth Group, authorities said.

"The letter is an extremely well-detailed and therefore dangerous scam," the real attorney general said Thursday.

"With the power of the Internet and desktop publishing programs, it is easier than ever for scammers to create sophisticated documents in order to trick unwary customers," said Thomas R. Calcagni, director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. "The best defense is for consumers to fight back by being extra vigilant whenever someone asks for bank account, Social Security or other identifying information."

The mailing was sent by both the Postal Service and by email, and represents a trend in which con artists are using the names of official government agencies to attempt to pry personal information from victims, authorities said.

A fraud in February purported to be from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Consumers are warned to be cautious when they receive any communication indicating they've won a prize or legal settlement, authorities said.

"Take the time to independently verify the authenticity of the person reaching out to you," Chiesa said. "Never give your personal identifying information to anyone unless you know for certain the person or organization is legitimate."

Authorities urge anyone who has received this or a similar document to call the Consumer Affairs Service Center hotline toll free in New Jersey at 800-242-5846 or 973-504-6200.

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10/20/2011 - E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC - October 19, 2011

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

The e-mail appears to be sent from a "Fdic.gov Alert Service [mailto:subscriptions@fdic.gov]" e-mail address and has a subject line that reads: "SA-28-2011: Counterfeit Cashier's Checks Alert."

The e-mail states that, "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation." It further states:

"The counterfeit items display a large variaty of routing numbers, which are assigned to a large number to small and medium size banks all over USA. The items are blue, have rounded corners, and display a security feature statement embedded within a darkened top border. The bank's logo, name, and Web site address appear near the top-left corner of the counterfeit items.

Authentic cashier's checks are yellow and display a security padlock icon at the end of the written dollar amount line. The bank's logo, name, and Web site address are in the top-center area.

Copies of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) can be seen at https://fdic.gov/starsmail/check.sample.asp for your your review."

The e-mail attempts to trick recipients into clicking on a link directing recipients to a fraudulent Web site.

The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers or business account holders.

5/13/2011 - Consumer Alert - Michaels Stores Credit and Debit Card Data Compromise

National arts and crafts retailer Michaels Stores, based in Irving, Texas, has reported a potential credit and debit card compromise. The company believes PIN pad tampering may have occurred in its New Jersey-area stores and that customer credit and debit card information may have been compromised.

Consumers who have purchased items from a Michaels store with a debit or credit card are encouraged to monitor their statements, report any suspicious account activity, and change any PIN numbers and other account security settings. Consumers who believe their accounts were used without authorization should contact the card issuer directly. More consumer protection tips are available at the Federal Trade Commission website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt150.shtm.

Additionally, The Company is working to assist authorities in the investigation. For additional information and updates, visit Michael's website at www.michaels.com.

4/19/2011 - Potential Phishing Scam

Unity Bank has received a report of a consumer receiving a telephone call where the caller has claimed to be with the fraud department of Unity Bank. Caller states they are calling to notify the consumer that their debit card has been locked and to press 1 for security.

Consumers should be aware Unity Bank does not make calls of this type and consumers should not provide information to anyone making such requests.

Any consumer receiving any inquiry of this type should notify Unity Bank customer service at 1-800-618-2265.

4/5/2011 - Fraudulent Emails Claiming to be from NACHA (Phishing Alert 3/29/2011)

Fraudulent Emails Claiming to be from NACHA (Phishing Alert Update 3/29/2011)

Further to notices issued on March 11 and February 22, 2011, NACHA � The Electronic Payments Association has received reports that individuals and/or companies continue to receive fraudulent emails that have the appearance of having been sent from NACHA. These emails vary in content and appear to be transmitted from email addresses associated with the NACHA domain (@nacha.org). Some bear the name of fictitious NACHA employees and/or departments.

NACHA itself does not process nor touch the ACH transactions that flow to and from organizations and financial institutions. NACHA does not send communications to persons or organizations about individual ACH transactions that they originate or receive.

Be aware that phishing emails frequently have attachments and/or links to Web pages that host malicious code and software. Do not open attachments or follow Web links in unsolicited emails from unknown parties or from parties with whom you do not normally communicate, or that appear to be known but are suspicious or otherwise unusual.

If malicious code is detected or suspected on a computer, consult with a computer security or anti-virus specialist to remove malicious code or re-install a clean image of the computer system.

Always use anti-virus software and ensure that the virus signatures are automatically updated.

Ensure that the computer operating systems and common software application security patches are installed and current.

Additional information and guidance on phishing is available from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

12/3/2009 - Special Alert from the FDIC

SA-200-2009: Fraudulent Correspondence Claiming to Be From the FDIC.
Please visit the web address below to the FDIC website to review the alert.
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2009/sa09200.html

6/13/2008 - Fraudulent Website

A phishing scam began on Friday June 13, 2008, in reference to a site that does not belong to Unity Bank. The site name is UNITYBUK.COM. Do not use this site or go into this site or place any personal information in this site. Unity Bank does NOT request personal information through its website. Questions? Please contact your Unity Bank representative at 1-800-618-BANK (2265)or visit local branch office.

2/8/2008 - Fraudulent e-mails that reference scam continue CLICK DOWNLOAD PDF for SAMPLE

A phishing scam that began on Friday January 25, 2008 via e-mails that appear to be from Unity Bank continues. Scammers continue to reference the scam and e-mail in attempt to have customers call to "reactivate" account through fraudulent phone numbers. If you receive an e-mail of this nature, please delete the message immediately and do not respond to it. Do not call the phone numbers. This is a phishing scam and an attempt to collect personal information via the internet and you should not respond to such requests.

Questions? Please contact your Unity Bank representative at 1-800-618-BANK (2265)or visit local branch office. click on download pdf for a sample of fraudulent e-mail.

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1/29/2008 - URGENT CONSUMER ALERT - PLEASE CLICK DOWNLOAD PDF AND READ SECURITY MESSAGE

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1/28/2008 - Fraudulent e-mails that appear to be from Unity Bank continue CLICK DOWNLOAD PDF for SAMPLE

A phishing scam that began on Friday January 25, 2008 via e-mails that appear to be from Unity Bank continues.
The scammers have duplicated the Unity Bank alert and ask you to call an 800 number and provide your debit/credit card number to reactivate your card. You should not call this number or provide any account information.

If you receive an email of this nature, please delete the message immediately and do not respond to it. This is a phishing scam and an attempt to collect personal information via the internet and you should not respond to such requests.

Questions?
Please contact your Unity Bank representative at 1-800-618-BANK (2265)or visit local branch office.

click on download pdf for a sample of fraudulent e-mail.

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1/25/2008 - Fraudulent e-mails that appear to be from Unity Bank CLICK DOWNLOAD PDF for SAMPLE

Be aware of fraudulent e-mails that appear to be from Unity Bank It has come to our attention that some customers have received fraudulent emails that appeared to come from Unity Bank with the subject line "you have 1 new alert message!" The email contains a link that takes readers to a site that resembles Unity Bank's Web site, where it requests that the recipient provide confidential information via an online form. Please be advised that these emails are not being sent by Unity Bank and the Web site they link to is a copy---not Unity Bank's actual website.

Be aware that Unity Bank will not:
. Initiate communication directly with customers regarding any account personal information.
. Request personal information, such as card numbers or PINs, via the internet.

If you receive an email of this nature, please delete the message immediately and do not respond to it. This is a phishing scam and an attempt to collect personal information via the internet and you should not respond to such requests.

Questions?
Please contact your Unity Bank representative at 1-800-618-BANK (2265)
click on download pdf for sample of fraudulent e-mails

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7/6/2007 - Fraudulent email may be in circulation claiming to be sent from Unity Bank.

Fraudulent email may be in circulation claiming to be sent from Unity Bank. If you receive the email shown in the link you should contact Unity Bank at 800.618.BANK Unity Bank's web page should never be accessed from a link provided by a third party. The Bank does not send email messages that require confidential information, such as account numbers, passwords, or PINs. Unity Bank customers should please report any such requests to the bank.

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1/22/2007 - Fraudulent mail claiming to be from Unity Bank.

If you receive the letter shown in this link you should contact Unity Bank at 800.618.BANK.

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