Fraud Prevention

Touchstone FCU...Keeping You Safe

Touchstone FCU is committed to your security – on and off line. Check here for fraud prevention tips, news on the latest fraudulent scams, and security terminology!

Security Term of the Month

Spoofing: A form of phishing, a way for cyber criminals to send e-mails that look legitimate, but are not, to falsely represent a legitimate company or organization. The false e-mail will include a phony link to what closely resembles a legitimate website address. Once the recipient clicks on a link, he or she is asked to provide personal information that is forwarded to criminals.A session layer protocol that provides authentication and confidentiality to applications.

For more security terms, go to our new security Glossary.

Important Numbers and Contacts to Keep Handy!

The numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen are:

Equifax: 1-800-766-0008 P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 
Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289 P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022-2000 

Federal Trade Commision's Identity Theft Hotline 1-877-438-4338
(or download a complaint form at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/)

Social Security Administration (fraud line) - 1-800-269-0271

Facebook and You: T.M.I.?

Are you sharing too much on Facebook? As much as we all may want to share information with all our "friends" on social media sites such as Facebook (and others) – too much information can jeopardize your financial and personal safety. The key becomes how to stay engaged without giving away too much of your privacy and too much vital information. Read more for some thoughts and tips on controlling information on Facebook.

posted August, 2010

Don't Be Caught in a Disaster Aid Scam

When tragedy strikes, many of us rush to provide support and aid. Criminals know this too, and they can make a profit from the misfortune of others and your urge to help. When a tragedy strikes, keep your head while giving from the heart.

• Donate money and gifts to established, trusted non-profits or to organizations sanctioned by those non-profits or the government. You can verify the legitimacy of an organization trhough www.bbb.org/charity, www.charitywatch.org, and www.guidestar.org.

• Don't respond to unsolicited email or click on links within those messages. Follow links to charities from sites you already know and trust.

• Restrict the amount of personal information you provide.

• Be wary of those who claim to be victims and directly solicit your help.

• How much of your money will go to help real victims? 75%? 80%? Those are reasonable figures. If the answer is 10%, that is unreasonable. It is also unreasonable to expect that 100% will go directly to victims.

• If you feel believe you have received a fraudulent email, you can file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.

posted Summer 2010

Eight Financial Safety Travel Tips

Plan to travel at home or abroad? While you plan for your personal safety, remember to take time to plan for your financial safety as well. A few precautions taken before you leave home can help you to more easily overcome situations you may encounter that can cost you financially.

• Don’t carry too much cash. Make it a point to limit the amount of cash you carry at any one time to $300 or less in the currency of your destination country.

• Travel with one credit and/or debit card in hand, but carry a spare. Carry one credit and/or debit card with you to limit the amount that can be stolen should you lose your card. Carry a spare card in case something happens to the first card, but keep it locked away for safekeeping once you arrive at your destination. Test your ATM, credit, and/or debit cards before you leave home to make sure they work, and be sure that they will not expire while you are away.

• Keep important phone numbers separate from your cards. Remember to write down the 800 numbers of the cards you do take with you. Keep them separate from your cards. If a card is lost or stolen, you can quickly locate the phone number and stop access to that card.

• Inform Touchstone FCU about your travel plans. For the safety, security, and peace of mind of our members, we have a security "lock-out" on your Credit Cards that will not allow you to use the card overseas at all. This security precaution could freeze your account when you try to use it overseas unless you’ve informed us of your plans. On your written request, we can release that "lock-out" feature for as long as you plan to stay abroad.

• Commit your PIN number to memory before you leave. ATM machines outside of North America only support four-digit pins and may not support letters on their keyboards, or the keyboard may seem unfamiliar because the letters and numbers may appear in a different order. Be sure to use a four-digit numeric ID for the card’s PIN and commit it to memory!

• Decide if traveler’s checks are right for you. People feel comfortable using traveler’s checks while on vacation. They are safer to carry than cash, and a reputable company that issues traveler’s checks can usually reimburse you within 24 hours if they are lost or stolen. However, fewer merchants may accept them and there may be high fees associated with cashing the checks overseas. If you choose to use traveler's checks, keep one copy of the issuer’s phone number, check numbers, and other information with you, but separate from your checks — and leave a copy at home.

• Take a small amount of foreign currency with you before you leave. Order foreign currency from eZforex.com before you leave (for more information visit Additional Services). Having a little foreign currency on hand when you touch down allows you to get more familiar with your surroundings before you have to worry about exchanging money.

• Monitor your accounts and credit cards through Home Banking. Remember, fraud is all around us. Touchstone FCU has taken many steps to ensure your financial safety, including offering safe, secure, online account access. With our Home Banking system, touchstone@home, you can monitor your accounts and credit card activity (anytime, from anywhere) to more quickly catch any fraudulent activity being perpetrated. View your accounts regularly. Be sure to view your accounts and card activity before leaving for your destination and following your return.

(rev) posted October, 2009

Identity Theft – Crime of Opportunity
A recent study released by Javelin Strategy and Research showed that up to 43% of identity theft cases in 2008 were linked to crimes of opportunity, such as stolen wallets. That was an increase of 33% in 2007. Women were 26% more likely to be victims of identity theft and reported more cases of stolen information during in-store purchases. The study showed that online access accounted for only 11% of identity theft cases. While identity theft jumped last year by 22% over 2007, the good news is that the average cost per incident fell 31% to $496.00. What precautions can you take to prevent and detect identity fraud?

Banking online is a good first step. Financial institutions continue to take aggressive steps to make online banking safe, and people who check their accounts online can catch any signs of fraudulent activity more quickly. Paying bills through the mail offers another opportunity for thieves to steal your personal information.

Keep your PIN and personal information to yourself. Over 10% of victims knew their identity thieves, and in those cases the theft went undetected longer and cost the victim more.

Be aware of those around you. When giving information out in public, be aware of the people around you and limit the amount of personal information you divulge in public places, retail stores, for example.

Limit the amount of personal information you carry with you. Leave your checkbook and Social Security cards at home. Don’t carry anymore personal information on you than you need.

posted March 1, 2009

Review Statements to Avoid Potential Holiday Credit Card Fraud
Don't forget to review your Visa credit card statements to check for any potential fraudulent use during the holiday season. If something on your statements does not seem right, please call us immediately at (978) 657-2223. Credit card fraud is increasing, but you can do something about it. Remember to view your statements carefully. Sign up for home banking, and review all your accounts regularly online to avoid problems.

Also, make sure we have your current phone information on file so that we can quickly contact you if we think there are any potential issues with your account(s).

Traveling Out of State with Your Visa Credit Card?
Visa credit card holders, if you are traveling out of state, please let Touchstone know. For the safety and peace of mind of our members, we have a security "lock-out" on your credit card that will not allow you to use the card out of state. This security precaution could freeze your account when you try to use it unless you've informed us of your plans. On your written request, we can release the "lock-out" feature for as long as you plan to be away.

Important News About Phishing Scams
Please be advised that there are several phishing scams that may appear to come from support services of financial institutions, including CUNA, the IRS, and NCUA. (Anyone with an e-mail address may be susceptible to these scams or others like it.) Please use caution if you receive any e-mails that ask you to provide confidential information or to click links to visit web pages that ask you to provide confidential information.

Many such e-mails are sent by criminals attempting to trick recipients into providing confidential information like user names and passwords. Known as phishing, many such fraudulent e-mails may appear to be from official or trusted sources. If you receive suspicious e-mails, do not click on the link provided in the e-mail.

Fraud Prevention Tips
Be vigilant to prevent thieves from damaging your good credit and stealing your identity.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, write “PHOTO ID REQUIRED”.'   

2. When you pay credit card accounts with a check, DO NOT put the complete account number on the check's memo line. Instead, just add the last four digits. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.  

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (You can add it if it is necessary, but if you have It  printed, anyone can get it.)  

Want to learn more? Click here.

Could You Be Caught in a Check Scam? Avoid being caught in a check scam. Visit www.fakechecks.org for more information on check scams and how they work.

On Guard! Learn to protect yourself from malicious spyware and fraudulent e-mails at www.OnGuardOnline.gov, a Web site created by the Department of Justice in partnership with other federal agencies and the technology industry to help you stay safe online.

Enhanced Login Security
Online security has always been a top priority for Touchstone, and we recognize that secure access to your accounts should be available to you everyday, everywhere. In order to continue to provide safe online access, Touchstone has the latest online security feature—Enhanced Login Security. Enhanced Login Security identifies you as the “true” owner of your accounts, no matter where you are. Now, not only will your password be recognized, your computer will be recognized as well. Enhanced Login Security is just one more way to prevent fraud, protect against identity theft, and strengthen your online security as a whole.

FraudWatch^® PLUS ... Protection 24/7, 365 days a year!

Important! To ensure the effectiveness of this service, if you change your home telephone number, notify Touchstone immediately.

Fraud can hit anytime...but you're protected. Touchstone Federal Credit Union has taken action to protect your Credit Union Visa Check Card from fraudulent activity. We provide all Members holding Touchstone Federal Credit Union Visa Check Cards FREE around-the-clock protection against the increasingly savvy perpetrators of Check Card fraud through FraudWatch^® PLUS protection. With FraudWatch^® PLUS, trained analysts watch for suspicious activity on your behalf, 24-7, 365 days a year. An experienced fraud analyst will contact you immediately to verify the authenticity of your card transactions, if warranted.