Charter Oak Federal Credit Union shuts down online access

Greg Smith, The Day, New London, Conn.
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 17—Charter Oak Federal Credit Union has shut down online access while it investigates a cyber attack, the credit union said in a statement released online Monday.

CharterOak.org was shut down at 5 p.m. Friday, and the credit union, with a customer base in New London and Windham counties, said its information technology team and cyber security experts acted immediately and worked to "protect member data and assets."

The unusual activity was first noticed Wednesday and the website was shut down on Friday at 5 p.m.

Brian Orenstein, president and CEO of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, in an interview posted in the credit union's website on Tuesday, said that when the website was down a "bad actor" posted a phony website that looked like the real one and may have collected user names and passwords from unsuspecting customers.

Credit union officials said the investigation into the "actions of potential web intruders is ongoing," and ask anyone that entered information to contact the credit union. Since the credit union's website remains down, Orenstein said any stolen information could not be used.

"We sincerely apologize for the disruption to our members for the temporary loss of online banking," Brian Orenstein, president and CEO of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, said in a statement. "Members should rest assured that their money and their personal information is 100% safe and secure."

Charter Oak said it will refund members who have experienced fees or charges caused by the disruption in online service. For questions, members are encouraged to contact the credit union at ContactCenter@cofcu.com or call (860) 446-8085.

Credit union members are reminded to be vigilant about not entering their online banking credentials into fraudulent websites. If anyone provided personal information to any website that appears to have been CharterOak.org over the weekend, contact the credit union, which will assist in a password change.

"Charter Oak apologizes for the inconvenience members have experienced due to this website disruption. We ask that members bear with us while the cyber security team works to get the original site back online as quickly as possible. We will provide regular updates through our email and social media channels," the credit union said in a statement.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information.