Fraud Prevention

• Never respond to emails or text messages asking you for your personal banking or credit card information. Legitimate organizations/companies will never reach out to you to ask for personal information via phone, email, or text.
• Only enter personal information on secure websites. Look for a "lock" on the browser or "https" at the beginning of the website address to ensure the site is secure.
• Never use email to send your confidential information because email is not secure. To send us a secure message, use the Contact Us section of the USU Credit Union website.
• Do not open emails or text messages if you don't recognize the sender's name. When in doubt, delete!
• Limit the information you share on social networking sites. Fraudsters can obtain a startling amount of information about a person from social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This includes: birthdays, mother's maiden name, children's and pet's names, and employment information. Be cautious about posting this type of information and make sure that information of this nature is limited—check settings to ensure it is not public for everyone to view.
• Change passwords regularly using a mixture of upper and lower case characters and numbers. Use passwords that are not easily guessed. Do not share password information with anyone. Do not use the same passwords for multiple websites, especially for logins to bank accounts or other similar sites. See below for more tips on avoiding easily deciphered emails and creating strong passwords.
• Be wary of promotional scams. Identity thieves may use phony offers over-the-phone, through email, via text message, etc., to get you to give them your personal information.
• Update anti-virus software and security patches to your system software regularly. Also, be sure and perform software updates to your mobile devices, too, to avoid malware specifically targeting smartphones, tablets and other similar electronics.
• Review your credit report once a year.
• Tear up or shred any pre-approved credit card offers that you do not want.
• Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions and notify your financial institution of any suspicious transactions.
• Be cautious about giving confidential information over the phone, or through email/text message, to callers you don’t know.
• Limit the amount of identification and the credit cards you carry.
• Identity thieves may steal mail. Consider locking your mailbox.
• Report lost or stolen checks and credit cards immediately. In addition, report identity theft incidents to the credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax). Consider placing alerts or taking other actions suggested by the bureaus to protect your credit. (Please contact the bureaus directly for more information.)
• Do not provide debit or credit card numbers or PINs in response to unsolicited emails, text, phone calls.

• You see withdrawals from your bank account that you can't explain.
• You don't receive bills or other mail.
• Merchants refuse your checks.
• Debt collectors call you about debts that aren't yours.
• You find unfamiliar accounts or charges on your credit report.
• Statements show up for an unknown credit card account.
• You have good credit, but an application for credit is denied.
• Your health plan rejects your legitimate medical claim because the records show you’ve reached your benefits limit.
• The IRS notifies you that more than one tax return was filed in your name, or that you have income from an employer you don't work for.
• You get notice that your information was compromised by a data breach where you do business or have an account.

The most common check fraud involves receiving a generous check with an explanation that you've just won an award, a prize, a lottery, or some other windfall. You’re instructed to deposit the check and wire a portion back to pay fees, taxes, etc. If you fall for this scheme, you could be out of luck. Wired funds can't be retrieved, and by law you're responsible for the deposited check even though you didn't realize it was counterfeit.

Dating apps and websites are becoming more and more popular, which has unfortunately attracted criminals that target unsuspecting men and women who are trying to make a connection online. These criminals use stolen pictures and made up information to reel in their victims. They work to cultivate the relationship but will make excuses to avoid meeting in person. Eventually, the criminal will ask the victim for their bank account information so that they can make deposits into their account. The reasons for these deposits vary, including that they are currently out of the country and can't access their own accounts, they moved to a new area and can't get to a bank, or that their own account has been frozen due to a misunderstanding. The criminal will then ask the victim to deposit the funds into the account of a friend or family member, send the funds via Western Union, or use the funds to purchase iTunes gift cards. When it turns out the initial deposit was fraudulent, the victim is then liable for all money sent.

Many people going through tough financial times look to apply for loans to get them through. Be wary, however, because criminals create convincing websites stating they are a legitimate lender. Once someone applies for a loan, they tell the applicant that due to poor credit, they will need to allow the lender to deposit money directly into their account, and the applicant will have to immediately pay it back via Western Union or MoneyGram to "boost" their credit score. Once the applicant does this a few times, the lender states they will then send funds the applicant can keep. However, before this can happen the funds are determined to be fraudulent and not only does the victim not receive a loan – they are also out the money they already sent to the criminal.

Don't accept a check for more than your selling price, no matter how tempting the offer or how convincing the story. Ask the buyer to write the check for the correct amount. Be especially cautious of out-of-state checks. They can be hard to verify and it can take weeks for your financial institution to determine a check is fake.

Be cautious when accepting a money order or cashier's check from someone you don't know. If the denomination area is discolored or if the item includes different fonts/inconsistent print, it could mean the money order or cashiers check has been altered. Hold it up to the light to make sure the watermark and security thread are visible. If in doubt, contact the issuer of the check to verify the validity of the item.

Fraudsters typically find victims by searching websites where job seekers post resumes. Money mules are most often recruited through bogus job offers for payment processors, financial managers, or overseas representatives with the ability to work from home. Upon accepting the job, the victims are notified they will receive deposits into their accounts via ACH, wire transfer, or check. Then they are instructed to either wire the funds to an account at another financial institution or send the funds to individuals via Western Union. The money mules keep a portion of the funds deposited to their account as wages. Through this process, the criminal receives the funds while hiding their involvement, and the victim may be complicit in moving illegal funds.

Shoppers may be told that their first assignment is to evaluate a money transfer service, like Western Union or MoneyGram. The shopper receives a check with instructions to deposit it in a personal bank account, withdraw the amount in cash and wire it to a third party – but the check is fake, and your money is gone. With these schemes, websites are often created where you pay a fee to register to become a mystery shopper and receive information about a certification program, a directory of mystery shopping companies, or a guarantee of a mystery shopping job. Remember, it’s unnecessary to pay anyone to get into the mystery shopping business. The certification offered is almost always worthless, and legitimate mystery shopper jobs are listed on the internet for free.

As the rise of social media website popularity increases, so has the use of these websites for the purpose of committing fraud. Fraudsters can use these social media platforms to pose as friends and acquaintances in order to solicit information, push fraud schemes, and send links to fraudulent websites. These types of solicitations are usually done through the compromised account of a friend and involve money making opportunities that seem too good to be true. The fraudster uses the victim's implied trust of the person they are posing as to obtain account numbers, personal information, or bank login credentials. Be cautious of any social media interaction which advertises or presents a money-making opportunity, including but not limited to online loan companies, grant opportunities, employment opportunities, and inheritance payments.