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Lost or
Stolen Credit Card?
Call 1-800-237-6211 to cancel your card. You can check for unauthorized
transactions online at www.EZCardInfo.com.
Lost or Stolen Check Card?
Call 1-800-383-8000 to get a new card issued, along with a
different access code. You can check for unauthorized transactions against
your checking account at Account@ccess.
What’s the Most Common Way IDs Are Stolen?
43% - Lost
or stolen wallet, checkbook or credit card
19% - Accessed while making a store purchase or transaction
13% - Friends, acquaintances, relatives or in-home guests
9% - Home or work computer by hackers, viruses or spyware
3% - Stolen paper mail
1% - Phishing
1% - Accessed while making an online purchase
1% - Some other way
Statistics provided by the Javelin Strategy & Research Group
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 Beware of
IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, there are between 500,000 and 700,000 cases each year in the United States alone.
And the effects can be devastating. It can take months to clear up and in the interim one’s credit record could be damaged to such an extent that getting a loan, renting an apartment or even writing a check
could be next to impossible.
How can you protect yourself?
The following are some simple steps you can take to help prevent identity theft:
- Do not give out personal information, such as account or credit card numbers, over the phone or the Internet unless you have initiated
the contact, and when you do, be sure you are dealing with a reputable company.
- Report lost or stolen checks, debit or credit cards immediately.
- Guard your ATM and Check Card personal identification number, and treat your receipts with care.
- Make sure your mailbox is secure and promptly remove mail when it is delivered.
- Contact the major credit reporting agencies to review your file. A copy of your credit report is available for a small fee. The three major credit bureaus are:
Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
Experian: 1-800-682-7654
Trans Union: 1-800-916-8800
If someone you
don’t know offers to send money to you, watch out! It’s probably one of the
many counterfeit check scams happening today. There are lots of variations
of these scams, but one thing is for sure – you will be out the money if you
comply.
Sure, it might be
tempting to cash a check for free money. Counterfeit checks look so real
that even financial institution employees can be fooled. If the check is a
fraud and bounces after you have cashed it, you’re the one who will be held
responsible.
Counterfeit check
scammers hunt for victims by scanning newspaper and online ads for people
trying to sell things and people seeking employment.
Scammers even send
random e-mails and faxes, hoping that someone takes the bait. These scams
take many guises, but the main thing to watch for is someone you don’t know
who wants to send to you a check or money order for a large sum of money –
but requests that you send a portion of the money back. If you fall for
this, you can be sure of three things:
-
The check is a
fraud.
-
The money you
deposit in your account is not good. When the check bounces, you’ll be
responsible for paying back the money. This will be even harder to do if you
have already spent it.
-
You’ve just wired
money to a crook.
We have one simple
rule of thumb pertaining to this! “If something seems too good to be real,
it’s not real”.
If you get a check and you feel suspicious about it, don’t cash it. Report
scams to the National Fraud Information Center at 800-876-7060 or call the
credit union.
Fake checks are making it tougher to tell if someone is offering you a real
deal or just another scam.
The crooks creating the latest fake checks often call or e-mail victims to
tell them they have won a sweepstakes or inherited money. The crooks invent
an excuse to explain why the check is written for an amount larger than the
total owed to the recipient. To get faster access to the funds, the crooks
advise the recipient to accept the too-large check and wire back the
“excess” amount.
Because the checks appear real, some financial institutions let the
recipient withdraw funds immediately. The recipient then wires the “excess”
funds to the crooks. When the scam is discovered, the financial institution
typically withdraws the amount of the check from the victim’s account.
Meanwhile, the victim loses the amount sent by wire transfer, often
thousands of dollars.
Three key questions will protect you from many scams:
- Why would anyone send you more money than you’re due? Just
asking the question is a reminder that you rarely get something for
nothing.
- Why do you need that information? When anyone asks for personal
information—check routing numbers, driver’s license numbers, Social
Security numbers, or other data—ask why it’s required. Unless you’re
convinced by the answer, refuse to provide it. Never provide information
when someone else originates the transaction or request for information.
- Is this check genuine? Even cashier’s checks can be faked. Ask
a professional at the Red Wing Credit Union to examine any questionable
check before selling property or withdrawing funds.
These types of scams are happening more and more frequently these days. One
more fundamental thought we would like to pose in regard to all of this is:
If something looks too good
to be real, it
probably is not real.
Carelessness Can Cost You!
Many Americans are concerned about someone stealing their credit card and
check or debit card numbers, but they may be ignoring one easy way thieves
can access financial accounts: receipts. Disregarding receipts that have
valuable information greatly increases the risk of credit and debit card
fraud.
Thieves can easily find in trash cans, receipts with valid account numbers.
Here are some easy steps you can take to prevent thieves from stealing your
financial information:
-
Shred all pre-approved credit card offers, credit and debit card receipts,
insurance forms, financial statements and other paperwork containing
personal and financial information.
-
Check credit union statements and other financial statements monthly for
discrepancies.
-
Order a credit report once a year to make sure no one else is using your
personal information to
obtain credit cards or services.
-
Don’t print your Social Security number on your checks and don’t carry your
Social Security card
in your wallet.
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