• Catch unauthorized transactions early by checking your account details regularly - at least once a week.
• Get a copy of your credit report - ensure that there aren't activities listed that you didn't initiate. Keep us updated on your contact information. In the event that a potentially fraudulent transaction attempts to clear your account, we may need to call you to verify the transaction. Any phone numbers you can provide will help us reach you when it matters most.

Card & PIN Safety:

• Report lost or stolen cards immediately.
• Sign your card on the signature panel as soon as you receive it.
• Protect your cards as if they were cash.
• Don’t leave your credit cards in the glove compartment of your car. An alarmingly high proportion of all credit card thefts occur in glove compartments.
• Never write down your PIN—memorize it. Also, never use your PIN as a password.
• Ensure that you get your card back after every purchase.
• Always check sales vouchers for the correct purchase amount before you sign them, and keep copies of your vouchers and ATM receipts.
• Make a comprehensive list of all your cards and their numbers and store it in a safe place.
• Don’t volunteer any personal information when you use your credit card, other than by displaying personal ID as requested by a merchant.
• Don’t lend your card to anyone. You are responsible for its use. Some credit card misuse can be traced directly to family and friends.
• Never disclose your PIN to anyone. No one from a financial institution, the police, or a merchant should ask for your PIN.

ATM Safety:

• Using your Debit card at the ATM is a convenient and safe way to get cash. Just be sure to keep in mind the following safety tips:
• Watch your surroundings
• Guard your PIN
• Keep your card ready
• Be safe at the drive-thru
• Take your receipt
• Avoid strangers

Online Safety:
The Web can be a great place to find information, but be extra cautious about the information you give. Here are just a few tips on what to think about while online.

• Never send account information, such as your account number or PIN, in the body of an email. You never know who could be intercepting it.
• Beware of phishing emails. These are emails that appear to be from your credit union or an online merchant asking you to provide your account information. These emails are bogus. Reputable financial institutions and merchants will never ask for any account or personal information in an email.
• Never click on Internet links within emails. Instead, type the known URL.
• Before making purchases online, be sure that the site has built-in security features to protect your account information. All reputable merchant sites use encryption technologies that will protect your private data from being read by others as you conduct an online transaction.
• When using a public computer to shop online or access your account(s), always remember to log off and quit the browser when you are finished. All it takes for someone to view your personal information is simply hitting the back button.
• Protect information by only using a computer that has a firewall in place.
• Implement anti-spyware and anti-virus software updates as soon as they’re available.

• Mail and telephone solicitations bring many tempting offers, but not all are legitimate! Be especially careful about deals that sound too good to be true, and keep the following advice in mind:
• Never give your account information to anyone claiming to be from Visa or your credit union unless you initiated the call.
• Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics, especially if the sale must be completed immediately.
• Record the name, address, and phone number of the soliciting organization, and obtain names of other customers who can supply references.
• Ask questions. The fewer questions a telemarketer can answer, the less likely that he or she is calling from a legitimate business.
• Do not give your account number over the phone unless you initiated the call. When in doubt, consult the Better Business Bureau or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
• Notify the Post Office immediately if you change your address.
• Make sure your mailbox is secure, and promptly remove delivered mail.
• Call the Post Office immediately if you are not receiving your mail.
• If you are told of a forwarding order placed on your mail without your knowledge, go to the Post Office to check the signature and cancel the order.

What identity thieves can do
Using everyday items such as your driver’s license or Social Security number to assume your identity, a skilled thief can:

• Open new bank accounts, and write bad checks.
• Establish new credit card accounts and not pay the bills
• Obtain personal or car loans.
• Get cash advances.
• Set up cellular phones or utility services and run up bills.
• Change your credit card mailing address and charge on your existing accounts.
• Obtain employment.
• Rent an apartment, but avoid the payments, and get evicted.

How identity thieves do it
Identity theft can occur in a number of different ways. But if you know what to look for and how it happens, you can minimize your overall risk. Here are some common scenarios to watch out for:

• Lost/stolen wallet or checkbook
  The most commonly reported source of information used to commit fraud is a lost or stolen wallet or checkbook. Stolen wallets and checkbooks usually contain a number of credit and debit cards, in addition to other personal documentation. Using these items, a thief can get enough information to obtain credit under the victim’s name, or sell the information to an organized crime ring.
• Dumpster diving
  Thieves rummage through trash cans for pieces of non-shredded personal information that they can use or sell.
• Mail theft
  Crooks search mailboxes for pre-approved credit offers, bank statements, tax forms, or convenience checks. They also look for credit card payment envelopes that have been left for postal carrier pick-up.
• Inside sources
  Half of all identity fraud is committed by friends, family members, relatives, employees, and live-in caregivers with access to privileged information. Info such as personnel records, payroll information, insurance files, account numbers, or sales records can be great help to any identity thief.
• Imposters
  Many have fallen victim to identity theft by individuals who fraudulently posed as someone who had a legitimate or legal reason to access the victim’s personal information (e.g., a landlord or employer asking for background information).
• Documents in the home
  Unfortunately, identity thieves can gain legitimate access into someone’s home and personal information through household work, babysitting, healthcare, friends, or roommates.
• Online data
  Although most identity thefts occur through traditional methods, such as the ones outlined above, risks still exist online. Be cautious when sending information electronically over the Web. Account information sent through email, or online chat, can easily be intercepted by thieves.

What does it do?
It’s actually more about what it prevents. When shopping online or over the phone, the 3-digit code helps merchants ensure that the card is in the right hands. Merchants will request the CVV2 at checkout from the cardholder, and the information is sent electronically to the card-issuing financial institution to verify its validity. Within seconds, the CVV2 results are returned with authorization. If it’s returned invalid, merchants have the right to stop the transaction.

And for your added protection, merchants are prohibited from keeping or storing the CVV2 number after the transaction has been completed.

1. Shred all personal and financial information before you throw it away.
2. Keep personal and financial records in a secure place.
3. Call the post office if you are not receiving your mail.
4. Be aware of others nearby when entering your Personal Identification Number (PIN) at an ATM.
5. Limit the number of credit cards and other personal information in your wallet or purse.
6. Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
7. Cancel all inactive credit card accounts.
8. If you have applied for a credit card and have not received it in a timely manner, immediately notify the financial institution involved.
9. Closely monitor expiration dates on existing credit cards. Contact the credit issuer if a replacement card is not received prior to a card’s expiration date.
10. Sign all new credit cards upon receipt.
11. Review your credit reports annually.
12. Use unique passwords on your credit cards, bank accounts, and phone cards. (Avoid using the standard mother’s maiden name, birth date, etc.)
13. Check monthly statements for unauthorized charges.
14. If your Social Security number is being used for identification purposes (e.g., health insurance, doctor’s office), request another method of identification.

DON’T…

1. Volunteer any personal information when you use your credit card.
2. Give your Social Security number, credit card number, or any account details over the phone unless you have initiated the call and know the business is reputable.
3. Leave receipts at ATMs, merchants or unattended gasoline pumps.
4. Leave envelopes with payments by credit card or checks in your mailbox for postal pickup.
5. Store your Social Security number and/or passwords in your wallet or purse.
6. Disclose account numbers, credit card account numbers, and other personal financial data on any Web site or online service location, unless you receive a secured authentication key from your provider.

• Contact the three national credit bureaus to report the identity theft and request a "fraud alert."
• File a police report.
• Contact the fraud departments of creditors.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• Take other appropriate actions, depending on your identity theft situation (e.g., contact the Social Security Administration office to report suspected Social Security number theft, file a report with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service if your mail has been stolen, etc).

CREDIT BUREAU CONTACT DETAILS

Equifax
800-525-6285 (Fraud Hotline)
www.equifax.com 800-685-1111 (Order a Report)

Experian
888-397-3742 (Fraud Hotline)
www.experian.com 888-397-3742 (Order a Report)

TransUnion
800-680-7289 (Fraud Hotline)
www.transunion.com 800-916-8800 (Order a Report)

Credit bureaus must provide free copies of credit reports to victims
of identity theft.

FTC CONTACT DETAILS

By phone: Toll-free 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)

TDD: 202-326-2502

Using Online Complaint Form, www.consumer.gov/idtheft

If someone sends you a check or money order then asks you to deposit the item into your account and wire transfer money out of your account, WATCH OUT! You may become the victim of a popular scam.

How does the scam work?
The scam usually occurs when you are selling merchandise via the internet or conversing in various "friendship" Internet Relay Chat "rooms". However, other variations of the scam include:

• Receive overpayment for an item you placed for sale over the internet.
• Receive notice you have won a foreign lottery or sweepstakes.
• Promise of receiving a percent of money for the transferring of money for the transferring of funds to your bank account for safekeeping, usually from outside the United States.
• Inheritance from a recently deceased distant relative you had no previous knowledge of.
• Unsolicited emails, faxes or letters requesting an immediate response.

Regardless of the pitch, all scams involve you being contacted by individuals who agree to forward you a check or money order. After the item is deposited, you may be contacted and told an elaborate story and then asked to wire transfer back all or some of the money.

After you withdraw or wire the money from your account, it is then determined the check or money order you were given is a counterfeit. At this time, the check or money order will be returned to the credit union/bank unpaid and the full amount will be deducted from your account.

There are variations to this scam, but you need to stop and ask yourself a question: why would you wire money to a stranger you met through the internet or correspondence only?

Who is responsible for the loss to my account?
You are responsible for the check(s) and money order(s) you deposit into your account. Only you can determine the risk of the business transaction you entered in. You were the one whom made arrangements for the check to be sent to you. If the check or money order is counterfeit or is returned unpaid for any reason, you are fully responsible for any loss related to the bogus item. In most cases, the credit union/bank can immediately debit your account(s) or file litigation to recover the money.

Why did the credit union/bank allow me to withdraw the money?
Federal law required credit unions/banks to make deposited funds available to you usually within 1 to 5 business days. The fact that you can withdraw cash from your account shortly after depositing a check or money order does not necessarily mean the item you deposited is good. Counterfeit and bogus checks and money orders can sometimes take weeks to be discovered and returned to your credit union/bank unpaid.

Why didn't the credit union/bank know the check was bad?
At WestStar, our employees are trained to look for counterfeit items to prevent our members incurring a loss. Credit union/bank employees merely process check and money orders and in some cases cannot determine if the item is real or not. Remember, you are ultimately responsible for the items you submit to the credit union/bank.

If you believe you have been the victim of or are currently being solicited by a fraudster, contact your local police department immediately. If you want more information or are the victim of one of these scams, please visit the websites below:

www.lookstogoodtoobetrue.com
www.ic3.gov
www.usps.com/postalinspectors
www.ftc.gov
www.iafci.org

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