Identity Theft & Fraud

Identity Theft is the act of stealing someone's personal information and using it to pose as that person. We work hard to protect our members from this crime. You can help deter identity theft by taking some precautionary measures. Are you at Risk? Take the Test.

1. DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON THE TELEPHONE, ESPECIALLY YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, UNLESS YOU INITIATED THE CALL AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO.

2. REPORT LOST OR STOLEN CHECKS AND CREDIT CARDS IMMEDIATELY.

3. REVIEW NEW ORDERS OF CHECKS AND REPLACEMENT CREDIT CARDS IMMEDIATELY.

4. STORE NEW AND CANCELLED CHECKS IN A SAFE PLACE.

5. DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR ATM PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN) TO ANYONE. NEVER WRITE IT ON YOUR CARD EITHER!

6. DISPOSE OF FINANCIAL RECORDS OR FINANCIAL SOLICITATIONS THAT ARRIVE IN THE MAIL BY SHREDDING THEM OR TEARING THEM UP.

7. STUDY BILLS AND STATEMENTS CAREFULLY AND QUESTION ANY SUSPICOUS CHARGES IMMEDIATELY.

8. PERIODICALLY CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT FOR INACCURATE INFORMATION. YOU CAN OBTAIN ONE FREE REPORT ANNUALLY FROM THE THREE MAJOR CREDIT BUREAUS AT WWW.ANNUALCREDITREPORT.COM .

Identity Theft Information from the US Postal Service, Click Here.

Phishing Scams - Helpful Info

Phishing - pronounced "fishing" - is the latest form of identity theft. It is when thieves act as if they are representing an organization and try to "hook" the consumer into providing personal information. Once a consumer is "hooked," the thieves can do lasting damage to a consumer's financial accounts.

Thieves attempting phishing scams often pose as a:

~ Financial Institution
~ Credit Card Company
~ Online Merchant
~ Utility or other biller
~ Internet service provider
~ Government agency
~ Prospective employer

The most common phishing attempt is by e-mail, but some phone attempts are made as well. The email will typically include bogus statements about problems with your account, or billing errors, and asks the target to confirm his/her personal information or account information.

Follow these common sense tips to protect yourself:

~ Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal information. Most legitimate companies and agencies do not operate that way.

~ Do not click on links in e-mails that ask you to provide personal information. To check whether an e-mail or call is really from the company or agency, call the company directly at its phone number of record or go to its official website (use a search engine to find it).

~ Do not provide personal information (such as your social security number, account numbers, PINs, passwords, and so on) via phone, e-mail or otherwise unless you initiated the contact with a trusted partner.

~ If someone contacts you via phone or e-mail and says you've been a victim of fraud, verify the person's identity, and contact the organization directly before you provide any personal information.

~ If you manage any of your financial accounts online, choose passwords that are difficult for others to guess and use a different password for each of your online accounts. Change the password frequently.

~ Make sure the websites on which you transact business post privacy and security statements. Be sure to review them carefully.

If you believe you have been a victim of a phishing scam, contact local authorities and report the information to any financial institution that may have been affected.

For help in adding a "fraud alert" to your consumer credit report files, contact the FTC commissions's ID Theft Clearinghouse, click here, or call 877-438-4338.

For more information on phishing and ID theft, go to Onguard Online, a government sponsored informational website.

If you didn't get hooked by a phishing scam, but would like to report the attempt, contact the National Fraud Information Center at www.fraud.org , or call 800-576-7060.