At Fremont Federal Credit Union, safeguarding your account and personal identity information is our top priority. Below are several tips to help protect you from fraud and identity theft.
You can also click here to view MYCU.Gov for additional scam information.
Regularly monitor your accounts for suspicious activity:
- Sign up for Fremont Federal CU Home Banking to monitor your accounts 24/7.
- Download and use the Fremont Federal Credit Union Mobile app (App Store or Google Play) to monitor your accounts 24/7 from your mobile phone or device.
- Download Fremont Federal CU DXMobile app in your phone’s app store for real-time control of where and how your debit or credit card can be used, as well as to be notified immediately of debit or credit card transactions.
- Set up free email and/or text alerts through Home Banking – you will receive timely notices of various account transactions and activity.
- If you discover unauthorized transactions or account activity on your FFCU accounts, please contact Fremont Federal CU by calling 419-334-4434
- Verify that you have up-to-date contact information for all of your consumer credit cards and online accounts for future reference.
Closely Monitor & Use Credit Reporting:
- Monitor your credit report on a regular basis to minimize the chance of identity theft. You can request and review a free credit report every 12 months through the three major consumer reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) or at annualcreditreport.com.
- In reviewing your credit report, look for information that is inaccurate and that could indicate fraudulent accounts opened in your name, such as:
- Inquiries from companies that you have not contacted
- Accounts that you didn’t open
- Debts on your credit card or loan accounts that do not reflect your transactions
- Review your personal information as well (name, address, employer, Social Security Number, etc.)
- Sign up for fraud alerting and credit monitoring services offered by the three credit bureau reporting agencies.
Protect your Social Security Number (SSN) from being stolen:
- Only provide your SSN to agencies/businesses who require it for action you have initiated.
- Always ask how your SSN is going to be used and why a merchant needs it.
- Do not send your SSN over the internet unless you know for certain that the connection is secure (i.e. account opening, tax or government-related forms, etc.)
- Do not carry a SSN card in your purse or wallet.
- Do not use your SSN on identification cards.
- Do not use your full or partial SSN as a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or password.
- Never store your SSN on unprotected computer systems.
- Shred all no longer needed documents containing your SSN.
SOCIAL SECURITY SCAMS
Beware of the four basic examples of a Social Security scam:
- Scammers pretend to be from a familiar organization or agency, like the Social Security Administration. They may email attachments with official-looking logos, seals, signatures, or pictures of employee credentials.
- Scammers mention a problem or a prize. They may say your Social Security number was involved in a crime or ask for personal information to process a benefit increase.
- Scammers pressure you to act immediately. They may threaten you with arrest or legal action.
- Scammers tell you to pay using a gift card, prepaid debit card, cryptocurrency, wire, or money transfer, or by mailing cash. They may also tell you to transfer your money to a “safe” account.
Do NOT provide any information including your social security and account numbers to the scammers or follow any of their instructions. Be sure to report fraudulent phone calls to a Fremont Federal CU branch.
How to safeguard your Personal Information:
- Consider paperless options for your bills and financial statements.
- Sign up for FFCU eStatements by logging into Home Banking; click the “eStatement” link in the top menu to register.
- Be aware of phishing and smishing! These fraudulent practices of sending emails (phishing) and text messages (smishing), while posing to be from reputable companies, are intended to tempt individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. These communications look very authentic; make it a practice to never provide this information via email or text if you have not initiated the action.
- Never provide personal information to anyone over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know that the company is reputable. If you are unsure, ask them to send you a written request.
- Do not provide personal data, such as your SSN, your mother’s maiden name, a credit card number or expiration date. Please note: scammers frequently use Voice Over Internet Protocol technology, which does not identify the caller’s actual area code location.
- Store your Social Security card, birth certificate, passport and infrequently used credit cards in a safe place. Don’t carry these items with you to minimize exposure to your personal information.
- Do not leave financial statements or other documents containing your personal information in areas where others may have access to them.
- Frequently, identity theft is committed by relatives, employees or associates with access to your home or business.
- Be sure to shred discarded mail or documents including your personal information, as the trash is a typical place for identity thieves to seek information.
- To reduce the chance of mail theft, consider promptly retrieving your incoming mail and taking outgoing mail to your local post office or a U.S. postal mailbox. If you are going to be traveling, put a hold on your mail by calling the U.S. Postal Service at 800-275-8777 or going online to usps.gov.
- Maintain a list of all of your credit cards, loans, account numbers and expiration dates in a safe place so you can notify creditors in case of theft or loss.
It’s easy to monitor your FFCU accounts 24/7!
For Home & Mobile Banking log in instructions and user guides, click here.