IDENTITY THEFT…and how to avoid it!

Fraudulent websites and e-mails designed to fool recipients into disclosing personal financial data such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and taxpayer ID numbers are rampant. Stolen trademarks, and logos of well-known banks, financial institutions, credit card companies and on-line retailers enable financial pirates or “phishers” to convince many recipients to give up valuable information.

The MSD Federal Credit will never ask for your personal account information by e-mail. If you receive an e-mail requesting personal information addressed from the MSD Federal Credit Union, please contact us immediately. The MSD Federal Credit Union will never ask for your personal account information by phone unless you have initiated the contact and we are using the information to identify you as the caller.

Loss Prevention Recommendations

If you wish to avoid becoming a victim of such ill-intentioned phishers, or suspect an e-mail message might not be authentic, do the following:

• Avoid using links in an e-mail to get to any web page.
• Be suspicious of any e-mail requesting personal financial information.
• Install a Web browser tool bar to assist you in avoiding fraudulent websites.
• Always ensure that you are using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information.
• Ensure that your browser is up to date and security safe.
• Log into your on-line accounts on a regular basis and check your financial institution statements, debit and credit card account balances and transaction history to make sure that all transactions are authorized.
• Report fraudulent e-mails to: www.antiphishing.org.
• Forward fraudulent e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov  and www.onguardonline.gov.
• Forward fraudulent e-mails to the e-mail address designated by the company being used to perpetrate the fraud.
• Notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center by filing a complaint on the ICCC website at: www.ic3.gov.

What to Do if your credit card, debit card, or ATM information is stolen:

• Immediately cancel your account and open a new account.
• Report information theft to the card issuer as soon as possible.
• Carefully review your account transactions to determine transaction legitimacy.

What to Do if your Account information is stolen:

• Immediately cancel your account and open a new account.
• Report information theft to the proper authority as soon as possible.

What to do if your personal identifying information is stolen:

• Report the theft to the three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union)
  
  Equifax- www.equifax.com
  To order report: 1-800-685-1111
  To report fraud: 1-800-525-6285
  Hearing Impaired 1-800-255-0056
  
  Experian- www.experian.com.
  To order report: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
  To report fraud: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
  
  TransUnion- www.transunion.com.
  To order report: 1-800-888-4213
  To report fraud: 1-800-680-7289

What you need to know:

• Your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50.00. If the loss involves your credit card number, and not the credit card itself, you have no liability for unauthorized use.
• Your liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your ATM or debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss. You risk unlimited loss if you fail to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after your statement containing unauthorized transactions is mailed to you.

Return to Credit Union