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Follow these recommendations if you suspect or know that you have been a victim of identity theft.
Place a fraud alert on your credit report by notifying the credit bureaus (listed below) of any identity theft incidents. You only need to contact one credit bureau as the agency you call is required to contact the other two. When you place a fraud alert on your credit report, any new credit requests or changes to existing account information will be reviewed very carefully to verify the requestor.
Equifax: 800.525.6285
Experian: 888.397.3742
TransUnion: 800.680.7289
Contact ChexSystems at 888.478.6536 to place a security alert on the compromised checking and savings accounts when a deposit account has been impacted.
Call 1.877.IDTHEFT (877.438.4338) or TTY 1.866.653.4261 to report ID theft so that law enforcement across the country can use the information to help with its investigations. You can also report ID theft to the FTC online at identitytheft.gov.
If you think your identity or Social Security Number has been compromised, call the Social Security Administration Fraud hotline at 1.800.269.0271.
Review your credit reports by carefully looking for any inconsistencies. If you find information on your credit report that you think is the result of identity theft (personal information or accounts), you can request the credit bureau to remove that information from your credit report. Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially for the first year after you discover identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
If you find accounts have been opened in your name without your knowledge, contact the company directly and ask to have them closed. Inform the company that the account was opened fraudulently. Keep detailed notes of your conversation and ask for documentation showing the account has been closed.
Contact your local and state law enforcement agency to file a report to help you with creditors who may need more information. A police report will be useful and is often required to close out fraudulent accounts.
If your account information or login credentials have been compromised please call us at 800.548.5465.
Lost/Stolen Checkbook: Notify us so that we can take measures to protect your account. File a police report, if necessary.
Lost/Stolen Mobile Device: If you’ve lost your smartphone or tablet:
Lost/Stolen Credit Card: To report lost/stolen credit cards please call 800.548.5465.
Mail Compromise: When mail is intercepted by a third party, account information such as names and balances may be at risk as a result of tampered mail. PFCU masks account numbers on statements and receipts, however, transaction history, names and other account information could be exposed if mail is compromised. Any exposed information can be used against you. If you suspect that your mail may be compromised contact the United States Postal Service. We recommend that you set up your account to receive statements electronically.
Debit Card Compromise: Often debit card data can be exposed in data breaches. If your card has been compromised, we'll deactivate the card and send you a new one. If your card has been lost or stolen please call 800.548.5465.
Online Service Compromise: These compromises may lead to fraudulent transactions through online/mobile channels. If your Online Banking credentials have been compromised we recommend for you to change your email address as well as changing your login credentials and ensuring that your account is enabled for multi-factor authentication. Call us as soon as possible so that we can review your account.
In addition, if a device has been compromised we recommend that you install antivirus software and/or scan your system for suspicious programs, and that you review your firewall. Please ensure that you have conducted all software/operating system updates.
If you suspect that any of your accounts with PFCU have been compromised, please notify us immediately. Together we will review your account and account history to flag fraudulent activity. In most cases, fraudulent transactions may be covered as long as you report them promptly. The most common methods of fraud being:
Our security systems do monitor debit card transactions on your account and you may be contacted if we detect any suspicious activity. To verify transactions on your Power Financial Credit Union Visa Debit Card, please call 800.548.5465.
You can follow these easy steps to prevent compromises and fraud on your accounts. Protecting your information and monitoring your accounts is crucial for mitigating risks and for providing you with peace of mind. The sooner fraud is detected, the lower the financial impact.
Check your online account activity frequently for anything unusual. View your accounts via Online Banking or the Mobile App to detect fraud earlier and contact Power Financial Credit Union or other financial institution immediately if you see anything suspicious. Also, keep an eye on accounts that you share with your children, parents or other family members. If you suspect that any of your accounts with Power Financial Credit Union have been compromised, please notify us immediately at 800.548.5465.
Whenever possible sign up for email or text alerts via Online Banking that notify you. Enable push notifications via our Mobile App to receive alerts on your mobile device. It’s also helpful to set up threshold alerts that notify you of low account balances or unusually high account transactions. Alerts like these can help signal fraudulent spending, so you can put a stop to it quickly.
Consider signing up for a credit monitoring service that notifies you when changes are posted to your credit report. This is one of the fastest ways to find out if someone has opened new accounts or loans in your name.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scams are not only limited to the Internet. Criminals also use phone, text, social media and email scams to gain personal information and commit fraud and identity theft. Here are a few typical identity theft and fraud scams.
Criminals are actively using email schemes to defraud financial institutions and their customers by deceiving them into conducting wire transfers that appear legitimate.
These schemes often target individuals purchasing real estate or other parties involved in the transaction (broker, title agent, attorney, buyer/seller), for the purpose of altering the payment instructions and diverting funds used to close the deal. To avoid falling victim to these wire transfer scams, make sure to:
Federal Trade Commission
Public Service Announcement
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
FTC provides an informative video on this subject.
Take the time to verify any calls or emails that you receive about your finances by contacting your financial institution directly. Locate the contact information from their company website, your online statements or other materials from the company.
Sign up for online statements to reduce your chances of having your identity stolen through the mail. Power Financial Credit Union offers free online statements, for easy access to review of all your accounts. This will also allow for electronic delivery of your eNotices. Reviewing your transactions is the easiest way to catch unknown activity.
Criminals send out fake emails that appear to be from real businesses, hoping to reach customers. These emails are called phishing emails. It's one of the ways criminals try to trick customers into giving personal information like account numbers and passwords. Phishing emails don't just target bank account holders. Be on the lookout for fake emails from fraudsters pretending to be online retailers, utility companies and other businesses that use secure login systems.
If an email appears to be from Power Financial Credit Union but looks suspicious, forward it to us at listening@powerfi.org then delete it immediately from your inbox. Do not open email attachments or click links in emails if you do not personally know the sender. Instead of clicking a link in an email, type the URL directly in your browser or use favorites/bookmarks to access the website.
Power Financial Credit Union will never contact you by phone or text asking for sensitive debit card or credit card information. If something seems suspicious, call Power Financial Credit Union at 800.548.5465 to report your concerns.
We may need to verify your identity when you call us directly at 800.548.5465. To verify it’s you, we might ask questions or send a code to read back to us over the phone. This is the only time we’ll ask for a code over the phone.
Just like phishing emails, criminals send out fake SMS text messages with a link to a fraudulent website or a phone number to try and collect personal information. Power Financial Credit Union will never ask you to confirm or provide personal information in an unsolicited text. Text messages from Power Financial Credit Union will always include one of these short codes – 454545 or 25845.
Do not reply to any suspected smishing texts or click on any links in the text message. If a text appears to be from Power Financial Credit Union but looks suspicious, forward it to us at listening@powerfi.org.
Fraudsters aren't just using new technology for scams. They still resort to tried-and-true tactics like vishing – an email or voicemail request asking you to call and provide personal information that can be used to access accounts or open new fraudulent accounts. If you suspect vishing, you should look up the organization and contact them directly to ask if the request is legitimate.
Be extremely wary when people you're connected to on social networks ask for money through instant message (IM) or email. Fraudsters have been known to hack social networks and assume the identity of real users, then send messages to their contacts stating the person has been robbed or is stranded somewhere and needs you to wire money in order to get home. If you receive one of these requests, contact the person by phone and verify the request is real.
Set your device to lock when it's not being used. This will help prevent someone from getting access to your personal data. We recommend that you do not share your mobile device with others.
Monitor how apps use your personal information. Make sure you feel comfortable with the way they use these details. For example, some apps share your location and phone number with other people in your vicinity.
This software can help you locate your phone via GPS or remotely remove all data from your device, if it’s lost or stolen. There are a variety of security apps available that offer this feature.
Before responding to any request for personal, financial or account information, make sure you know who is asking and why they need it. Be extra careful if a request is made with an urgent or threatening tone. Criminals use this trick to get personal information to access your accounts or commit identity theft.
Power Financial Credit Union will never send you an email asking for personal information, account information, a username or password. If you receive an email that appears to be from Power Financial Credit Union requesting this information, please forward it to listening@powerfi.org.
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