Fraud Protection

Fraud is more prevalent now then ever. Perpetrators more then ever use technology and schemes to rob victims of money and personal information. Your best defense is to keep informed. 

  • Do protect account numbers and personal information.  Do not respond to unsolicited requests for information from telemarketers, mail offers or Internet requests. 
  • Do not have confidential information pre-printed on checks.
  • Do limit the amount of information on your checks. Only provide the necessary information. Do not include home phone number or social security number.
  • Do not share personal information such as passwords.
  • Do report lost or stolen checks, credit/debit or ATM cards immediately.
  • Do store new checks and cancelled checks in a safe place.
  • Do shred documents containing confidential information, including:  unused checks, ATM receipts, credit card receipts or statements, and unwanted financial mail offers for credit.
  • Do notify your financial institution or Credit Card Company if regular statements do not arrive in a timely manner.
  • Do review statements in a timely manner to determine if account irregularities exist.
  • Do use caution when transacting business on the Internet.  Make sure confidential information is only provided to a reliable organization via a secure web page.
  • Do drop outgoing mail into a secure, official postal service collection box.  Mail is often stolen to obtain personal information.
  • Do shred anything that has a signature, account number, social security number, or medical or legal information (plus credit offers).
  • Do view your credit report at least one time per year. Free credit reports are now available for every region of the U.S. As of September 1, 2005, everyone in the U.S. has access to free credit reports from www.annualcreditreport.com

ATM/VISA DEBIT CARD

Contact Kelly Federal Credit Union at (800) 543-0776 immediately if your ATM or Visa Debit Card is lost or stolen. 

  • Do drop outgoing mail into a secure, official postal service collection box.  Mail is often stolen to obtain personal information.
  • Guard your card and pin.  Your ATM card cannot be used without a personal identification number (PIN), so keep your PIN number secure.  Memorize your PIN and never write it on your card or leave it in your wallet.
  • Be careful when selecting PIN (s) and password (s).  Do not use personal information such as birth dates, addresses, children's or spouse's names.
  • Shred ATM/Debit Card receipts or store them in a safe place.
  • Think safety and use an ATM located in a well-lit location.  If you suspect someone is looking over your shoulder, cancel the transaction and leave immediately.
  • Be aware of your surroundings when using an ATM.  When in a vestibule, close the entry door completely upon entering and exiting, and do not offer entry to strangers.
  • Avoid exposing your wallet or purse.  Complete your deposit and place it in a sealed envelope before arriving at an ATM location.  After a withdrawal, put your money, receipt, card and wallet away before leaving the ATM.
  • Report unauthorized electronic transactions that appear on your account statement to your financial institution immediately. 

INTERNET FRAUD

Internet fraud is increasing with the popularity of internet banking. A common scam is called "phishing", which usually involves an email sent with the intent of capturing personal information such as:  Social Security numbers, online banking login information, or credit card numbers. These emails are spoofed and may appear to come from a legitimate company such as a bank, credit card company, or Internet Service Provider. If you receive a suspicious email, do not open attachments or click on links.

Please keep in mind that banking institutions use personal information to confirm your identity. This information is only required when you call to inquire about your account. However, if your banking institution calls you, it doesn’t need to know that information it is on file already. The only purpose of such a call is to acquire that information for that person's personal benefit. Kelly Federal Credit Union will not call and ask your account number, social security number, user name and/or password.

How to Identify a Fraudulent Email

Identifying fraudulent email messages is not always easy, and the criminals who use them are becoming more sophisticated.  Phony email messages may ask you to reply directly or select a link that will take you to a fraudulent website that appears legitimate.  Fraudulent email messages will generally ask you to provide sensitive personal, financial or account information.

Tips for spotting fraudulent emails:

  • Urgent or threatening tone.   Email scams may claim that your account will be closed if you fail to confirm or authenticate personal information immediately.
  • Request for personal or financial information.   Fraudulent emails often claim that the bank has lost important security information that needs to be updated and may request that the user update this information online.
  • Misspellings and poor grammar.   Fraudulent emails often use improper grammar and contain misspellings.

How to Protect Yourself

  • Ensure that your browser and computer operating system are up to date with all security patches.
  • Use spy-ware detection tools and ad-ware blocking software to identify and delete unknown code on your personal computer that may monitor and collect your keystrokes and send personal information unknowingly to third parties.
  • If your software has identified "virus/spy-ware",   remove it and then change your Online Banking password.
  • Delete suspicious emails immediately and do not open them.
  • Do not click on links from suspicious or unknown senders.
  • Do not launch email attachments from an unknown sender.
  • Be selective when providing your email address to a questionable source.  Sharing your email address may make you more likely to receive fraudulent emails.
  • Do not access the Internet without an updated firewall enabled, especially when using DSL or a cable modem.