Identity Theft
What do identity thieves want?
Identity thieves want personal information such as your social security number, credit card numbers, passwords, and mother’s maiden name. They usually get their information from you. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to spot thieves in action.
How do they get it?
- Internet - fraudulent but official looking emails or pop-up windows that ask you to update information or enter a contest.
- Mail - theft from your mailbox or trash.
- Phone calls to "verify" information.
- ATMs and point-of-sale (POS) keypads - someone could be watching over your shoulder.
How does Lassen County Federal Credit Union Protect Your Account Information?
- Lassen County Federal Credit Union will never call or email you asking for your account information. When you call the Credit Union, you will be asked questions to verify your identity.
- Our VISA credit and VISA debit card are monitored 24/7 for suspicious or unusual activity.
Call Lassen County Federal Credit Union if your contact information changes, you plan to travel overseas, or if you intend to use your card in a way that is unusual for you.
How to protect yourself?
- Identity thieves are not always strangers! You can do a lot to protect yourself by keeping your personal information private. Do not give out your passwords or personal identification numbers (PIN). Never write your PIN down.
- Regularly monitor your accounts using Online Banking or Audio Response.
- Change your Online Banking password periodically and do not give it to others.
- Consider putting a password on your account to be used when calling Lassen County Federal Credit Union.
- Memorize the PIN for your Lassen County Federal Credit Union VISA debit card. Never write your PIN on your card, carry it in your wallet, or file it in an obvious place.
- Check your credit report at least once a year. Log on to www.annualcreditreport.com to order your annual free credit report or access your credit report regulary through the desktop version of Online Banking.
- Review your credit card and account statements as soon as you receive them to watch for any charges or withdrawals you did not make.
- Shred account statements, bills, pre-approved credit offers, and other documents with personal information before you throw them in the trash.
- Avoid emailing personal and financial information.
- Instead of clicking on links in an email you receive, call the company or log on to the company’s web site directly.
- Install and regularly update firewall, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software on your computer.
What To Do if Your Identity is Stolen?
If you believe your identity has been compromised or if there are unauthorized transactions on any of your Lassen County Federal Credit Union accounts, do not hesitate to contact a Credit Union Member Service Representative immediately.
Other Resources
You can download helpful publications and find out more about identity theft by using the following links:
https://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
What Is Phishing?
Creating a fraudulent replica of an existing Web page to fool a user into submitting personal, financial, or password data. —phish v. —phisher n.
Don’t Take the Bait!
If you receive an unexpected email saying your account information must be verified for any reason at all, you have been targeted in a phishing scam.
Lassen County Federal Credit Union will never contact you in this manner, nor would any other legitimate financial institution. Below are suggestions to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:
- If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. Do not click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies do not ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine or open a new internet browser session and type in the company’s correct URL yourself. In any case, do not cut and paste the link from the message into your internet browser. Phishers can make links that look like they go to one site, but actually send you to a different site.
- Use anti-virus software and a firewall. It is also very important to keep the software up to date. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the internet without your knowledge.
- Do not email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s website, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a website URL that begins with “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.
- Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them and check for unauthorized charges.
You can learn about other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam at ftc.gov/spam.
To learn about the Money Mule scam click the following link: Money-Mule
Never give personal information to anyone who calls, texts, or e-mails you requesting it.
If you have responded with any information please contact us IMMEDIATELY at (530) 257-7736 for assistance. If after hours or on the weekend, please call (866) 664-9364 and cancel your card immediately and contact us the next business day. If you feel you are a victim of this or other scams, further assistance is available by contacting the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) or https://www.fcc.gov/.
Should you have additional questions or would like more information, please contact us at (530) 257-7736.