What to Know About Identity Theft
Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your consent to commit a crime or fraud. This can occur through in-person interactions, phone calls, electronic communications, or via the internet, email, or mail. Identity theft offenses are increasingly common, and it’s not a matter of "if" your identity will be stolen, but "when." ID theft is among the top complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission.
Help keep your account information safer by doing the following:
- Review monthly statements and ensure they match your recollection and your other records. If you notice discrepancies between your statements and other records, notify us immediately.
- Use Virtual Branch Home Banking or the Mobile Banking App to check your accounts more frequently.
- Avoid scams. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Never give out account numbers or other personal financial information unless you can validate the authenticity of the requester.
- Shred personal and financial information.
In our ongoing effort to protect your privacy, we consistently evaluate and enhance our security program, processes, and procedures. Some of our identity theft measures include:
- Requiring identification and authentication for information requests, account maintenance, and transactions conducted both in person and over the phone.
- Posting timely warnings online to inform our members about recent email and online fraud schemes.
- Running a robust Identity Theft Prevention program to detect and address potential identity theft indicators.
- Collaborating with other financial institutions to implement best practices for fraud prevention.
We will never request personal information through email or phone calls. If you receive a call and are uncertain if it’s from the Credit Union, ask for the caller’s name and offer to return the call using our official number. If you get a suspicious email, contact us right away and avoid clicking on any links or viewing any attachments.
Free, secure online credit reports are available weekly from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion through annualcreditreport.com. You should review your reports at least annually or if your information has been exposed in a data breach.