Suspect Caught in Notre Dame FCU Phishing Attack

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A suspect was arrested in a phishing scam that hit Notre Dame FCU over the weekend and drained funds from as many as 60 members. The suspect was captured near an ATM in California where unauthorized withdrawal activity had been tracked on several members' debit cards. "They made an arrest at 1 a.m. California time, and the suspect had in his possession about 20 different debit cards," Leo Ditchcreek, president of the $400 million credit union, told The Credit Union Journal yesterday. "Eighteen were our members' cards with their PIN numbers." Ditchcreek said the scam appeared to have been launched late Friday with e-mails sent to a host of members and non-members alike with a link that directed them to a website that was nearly identical to credit union’s genuine site. The phony website was hosted by a firm in the Netherlands, and Notre Dame FCU was able to get it shut down early Monday. When the credit union posted a warning on its own site and through local media, a number of members contacted the credit union to report they had received and responded to one of the e-mails. The credit union quickly shut off access to those accounts and was able to track where unauthorized withdrawals were being made, helping law enforcement locate the suspect.