News stories continue to appear about fraud committed with stolen personal information. In today's information era, it is easy to have your identity stolen. As your credit union, committed to your financial safety, we feel you need to know the latest info to keep yourself and your accounts safe.

It may seem legit when you get an email request for verification of information for your financial accounts, but don't be fooled. It could be a phishing hoax to scam you out of your information. Phishers have copied legitimate institutions' logos and even set up fake websites that look like actual sites. They typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in their emails to convince the consumer that there is an immediate need to update their personal information so they can get their hands on the information and access the victim's accounts.

Please be extremely cautious of any suspicious emails asking for your personal or financial information. If an email appears to be legitimate because it comes from a company you do business with, you should call the company to confirm they sent the email. Remember, Evansville Federal Credit Union will never send emails asking you to submit your personal and/or financial information.

How to prevent it:

• Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.
• If you suspect an email might not be authentic, call the company on the telephone, or log onto the website directly by typing in the Web address in your browser, opening a new browser session.
• Always ensure that you're using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser. To make sure you're on a secure Web server, check the beginning of the Web address in your browsers address bar - it should be "https://" rather than just "http://" and have a "lock" in the bottom corner.
• Regularly log into your online accounts. Don't leave it for as long as a month before you check each account. Regularly check your statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. If anything is suspicious, contact your financial institution and all card issuers.
• Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied. In particular, people who use the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser should immediately go to the Microsoft Security home page to download a special patch relating to certain phishing schemes
• You can greatly minimize your risk by maintaining up-to-date antivirus, antispyware, and firewalls on your computer. This will greatly reduce the possibility that a virus will redirect you to the malicious Web site.

What to do if it happens to you:

• Cancel lost credit cards immediately. Have the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep a separate list where you can find it quickly and easily.
• If your checkbook is stolen, report it to your Credit Union.
• File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your purse or wallet was stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and it is a first step toward an investigation if one is required. If you believe your Social Security number has been compromised, call the Social Security Administration’s fraud line to report it.
• Contact credit-reporting agencies. This is perhaps the most important and least discussed step. Call the three national credit-reporting agencies immediately and ask them to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. With an alert in place, any company checking your credit knows your information was stolen and they must contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
  

*Note… The above links will take you to external websites. The information provided by each of these services is the sole responsibility of the entity providing the information. The links to each entity is for the convenience of our members. Evansville Federal Credit Union makes no representation, warranty, or endorsement regarding the accuracy of the information provided. Any warranties or representations expressed or implied are hereby disclaimed in their entirety.