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Your Account Security Is Important

At Green River Area FCU, your account security and protection are a top priority. Crimes like identity theft continue to be on the rise and it is important for you to keep your account information safe. Please read the following information below for tips on keeping your account information secure and what to do if you suspect fraud on your account.

Protect Your Information

Keep track of your accounts and watch for anything that seems out of the ordinary and any transactions you have not authorized.

Check all of your bank/credit union accounts and credit card statements monthly to make sure you have authorized all transactions. A great way to do this is with our Mobile App, or Online Account Access. You can check on your accounts anytime 24/7.

There's a new type of Internet piracy called "phishing". It's pronounced "fishing", and that's exactly what these thieves are doing: "fishing" for your personal information. What they want are account numbers, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards.

In the worst case, you could find yourself a victim of identity theft. The sensitive information obtained from a successful phishing scam, allows these thieves to take out loans or obtain credit cards and even driver's licenses in your name. They can do damage to your financial history and personal reputation that can take years to unravel. But if you understand how phishing works and how to protect yourself, you can help stop this crime.

Here's how phishing works:

In a typical case, you'll receive an email that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial institution. In some cases, the email may appear to come from a government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies.

The email will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It may use phrases, such as "immediate attention required", or "please contact us immediately about your account". The email will then encourage you to click on a button to go to the institution's website.

In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony website that may look exactly like the real thing Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual website. In those cases, a pop up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.

In either case, you may be asked to update your account information or to provide information for verification purposes: your Social Security number, your account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your identity when speaking to a real financial institution, such as your mother's maiden name or your place of birth.

If you provide the requested information, you may find yourself the victim of identity theft.

How to Protect Yourself

  1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request, whether it is over the phone or over the internet. Emails and internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. They may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure site. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.
     
  2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial institution yourself. You can find phone numbers and websites on the monthly statements you receive from your financial institution, or you can look the company up in a phone book or on the internet. The key is that you should be the one to initiate the contact, using contact information that you have verified yourself.
     
  3. Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited internet request. A financial institution would never ask you to verify your account information online. Thieves armed with this information and your account number can help themselves to your savings.
     
  4. Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct. If your account statement is late arriving, call your financial institution to find out why. If your financial institution offers electronic account access, periodically review account activity online to catch suspicious activity.

What to do if you fall victim:

  • Contact your financial institution immediately and alert it to the situation.
     
  • If you have disclosed sensitive information in a phishing attack, you should also contact one of the three major credit bureaus and discuss whether you need to place a fraud alert on your file, which will help prevent thieves from opening a new account in your name. Here is the contact information for each bureau's fraud division:
     
    • Equifax 800-525-6285 P.O. Box 740250 Atlanta, GA 30374
    • Experian 888-397-3742 P.O. Box 1017 Allen, TX 75013
    • TransUnion 800-680-7289 P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92634
       
  • Report all suspicious contacts to the Federal Trade Commission through the internet at https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft, or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.

Another link of interest regarding internet fraud and scams: https://www.fraudwatch.com

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