Stay Protected Against Data Breaches
Don’t let fraudsters steal your money or your personal information through data breaches. By taking the steps outlined below, you can significantly reduce your chances of falling victim to identity theft and fraud. Remember, staying vigilant and informed is your best defense against these threats.
Regularly monitor your financial accounts. Keep a close eye on your financial statements for suspicious activity by checking for unfamiliar charges or withdrawals monthly. Early detection of unauthorized transactions can help you prevent further fraud.
Review your credit. With the Credit Report tool powered by SavvyMoney®, you can review your full credit report and get daily credit score updates that won’t hurt or lower your score. You can also receive email alerts whenever something changes. Just visit the Credit Report tool in Online or Mobile Banking to begin.
Set up fraud alerts. Place a free fraud alert on your credit by visiting any one of the three major credit reporting bureau websites (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) and utilizing their fraud alert option. Please note, you only need to notify one credit reporting agency and that agency will notify the other two on your behalf. To receive the alerts, you will need to provide a phone number. When a creditor pulls your credit, you will receive an alert to verify if it is actually you applying for credit. This alert will remain on your credit for one year. It may be helpful to set a calendar reminder to renew the fraud alert each year.
Set up security freezes. A credit freeze blocks anyone from opening new accounts and taking out loans in your name using your Social Security number, a common tactic for fraudsters. You can initiate a credit freeze by visiting each website of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). It’s free, doesn’t affect your credit score, and can be lifted and then reinstated when you need to apply for a loan or open an account.
Add security questions or a password to your Educators Credit Union account. By adding security questions or a password to your account, you can prevent people from accessing your account without permission. Security questions and passwords can be used to verify you when you call us, while only passwords can be used to verify you at a branch. To add security questions or a password to your account, you can stop into a branch, use Educators Connect Cam™, or give us a call.
Do not drop off payments in standalone post office boxes. When mailing checks, drop them off inside a local post office directly. It is also important to use a gel ink pen when writing checks. This makes it more difficult for fraudsters to wash the check and rewrite it to themselves for a larger amount.
For more information about how to protect your identity and your finances, visit www.ecu.com/fraud-theft-protection.