On February 13, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an information notice alerting member firms about a suspicious email received by compliance personnel at a number of member firms. The email, sent by a purported BSA-AML compliance officer at a credit union, describes an attempted transfer of money from a firm client that the credit union has blocked due to anti-money laundering concerns. The email contains an attachment that, if opened, could potentially expose the member firm to a malicious virus or malware designed to obtain unauthorized access to such member firm’s computer network.

FINRA noted that member firms should be on the lookout for “red flags” related to potentially fraudulent emails, such as the sender requesting that the recipient open an attachment for additional details, and may report their receipt of such emails to FINRA.

The Notice is available here.