Fraud & Identity Theft

At USE Credit Union, we want to help you protect yourself from becoming an unwilling victim of identity theft and online fraud. There are simple ways you can protect your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

Online

• Only install software from trusted sources and known origins.  Software sent via email is particularly dangerous as viruses are often transmitted via email.  - Install and maintain Antivirus and Anti-Spyware software on your computer. 
• Update browser software to benefit from the latest security protections. 
• Pay attention to warning messages presented through your browser.  Browser warning messages may indicate a security threat.
• Attempts to defraud Online Banking customers have been reported recently by several financial institutions, including USE. In the scam, members and non-members of a particular financial institution receive an email message, supposedly from a particular bank or credit union. The email states that either an online banking password had been lost, or reset. The email provides a link to the site where the customer is asked to log in and provide the details of the lost data. The site is fraudulent, regardless of how similar it may look to the real financial institution website.
• You will never receive a message from a USE Credit Union employee or department asking for your online banking password. If you receive any such suspicious message, please notify USE Credit Union to confirm the legitimacy of the message.
• Use a bookmark (also known as a Favorites link) to log in to your USE Credit Union account, as well as other sites that contain sensitive or personal information. Do not follow a link that may be contained in an email message.

By Phone

• Be wary if someone calls you asking for your credit card number or social security number. You will never receive a call from USE Credit Union or any of its service providers asking for your card number.
• Even if you receive a call from someone stating they are from "Visa" or "Mastercard," be wary if they ask you for your "3-digit security code" that is listed on the back of your card. This number is only used for merchant verification, Visa should never legitimately need to ask for this number. When in doubt, hang up and call the 800 number on the back of your card. This guarantees that you are actually talking to a legitimate person.
• When calling your bank or credit union, credit card company, Internet Service Provider, or any other company to discuss your personal information, be sure you have dialed the right phone number before you divulge any information.

Other Sources of Information

• For a free brochure from the FTC on how to protect your identity, visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.
• Check your credit report frequently to make sure all of the information is correct.