Fraud Prevention
Protect your accounts and personal information.
We take your trust very seriously. In addition to utilizing the latest software and monitoring systems to help protect your accounts, we also like to share any ongoing security threats and scam alerts. Read about these scams to ensure that you’re not sharing vital personal information with the wrong parties. If you ever have any questions about suspicious activity or correspondence, please call North Shore Federal at 800.450.0709.
How to be proactive about protecting your information:
- Don’t give away personal information without asking questions. Why does someone need it? How will it be used and protected? What will happen if you don’t give the information? A legitimate company will be willing to answer these questions for you, while a scammer will likely be defensive and even threatening.
- Perform a free annual credit report check.
- Learn additional information at idtheftcenter.org and get help if you become a victim.
Text Fraud Scheme
A recent fraud scheme has members receiving a text message saying their debit, ATM or credit card has been subject to fraudulent activity or “hacked”. The message directs members to call an 800 or 888 number immediately. When a member calls, the person asks them for their card number, expiration date and cvv code. A legitimate fraud inquiry by NSFCU or our fraud monitoring partners would not ask you to provide this information because we already have it in our records. Always use the contact phone numbers listed on our website to inquire about any suspicious activity or the status of our card.
Telephone Spoofing
Telephone spoofing is when the fraudster is able to make an incoming phone call appear it is coming from someone or somewhere that you would want or need to take a call from. For example, you see an incoming phone call that is showing coming from the Credit Union’s phone number but when you answer something seems off about the person calling. They may sound muffled, not give you their name, or even say they are calling on behalf of a legitimate company.
We want to remind you that if something seems off, hang up! Call us back to verify if the call came from us or not. Also, keep in mind that IF we call you, we will have very specific reasons and we will not ask you for a bunch of personal information like account number or credit card number as we will already have that information in front of us. We will just verify that we are talking to the correct person. Again, if you are ever in doubt, do not give out your information; just hang up and call us back to verify the call.
Skimming Devices
Be aware of the card terminals you are using, looking for any suspicious devices which may be "skimming" your card info. This includes ATMs, gas pumps, and even store terminals. Skimming devices are later retrieved by the fraudsters, either physically or by remotely downloading the stolen data. The stolen data is used to create duplicate plastic cards which are used in fraudulent transactions.
Increased Fraud at Specific Retailers or Merchants
NSFCU monitors fraud trends in order to keep you informed. At times, specific national retailers or merchants, such as Walmart or Walgreens for example, will be targeted by fraudsters using stolen card information. We encourage you to review your account activity and statements regularly to be on the lookout for unrecognized charges to be sure your account has not been compromised. Occasionally, NSFCU will also take precautions to prevent potential fraudulent charges from going through. These precautions are put in place for your protection but could interrupt your card use at these stores.
Fake or Fraudulent Check Scams
There are many versions of fake check scams. Scammers lure consumers into depositing a cashier’s check, money order, or other checking instrument from someone that they don’t know. They request funds to be wired to the scammers. Scammers may even purchase an item from you giving you a check for more than the purchase price. They then request you "refund" them the difference with a money order or wire transfer. A check may take considerably longer than expected to clear the financial institution that issued it meaning it could take days or even weeks to discover that the deposited check was fraudulent.
When the check is discovered to be fraudulent, the damage may already have been done. Once a victim wires or sends funds from such a check, he or she may be responsible for reimbursing the financial institution for that amount. These fraudulent checks can be hard to recognize. They may be printed with the names, addresses, and logos of legitimate financial institutions. Consumers are reminded to be on the alert and to not be pressured into wiring funds or sending money after depositing a check. Members should be vigilant and avoid depositing checks from unknown parties.
Phishing Fraud
Phishing uses email, text messages, and sometimes phone calls to get people to disclose private information that can be used for fraudulent purposes. Do not respond to any email, text or phone call asking you to provide your social security number, credit card number, account number or passwords/PINs. When NSFCU does contact you, we will not ask you for this information. We will verify the information we have already on file. If you are contacting us, then we will ask you to verify who you are using your previously established account Privacy Code. If you are unsure of your Privacy Code, please stop by your local branch for assistance.
Telemarketing Fraud
Telemarketing fraud occurs when you send money or give personal or financial information to unknown callers. Some trademark signs of telemarketing fraud calls are "you must act now or the offer won’t be good", "You’ve won a free gift, vacation, or prize but you have to pay for postage and handling or other charges to collect", or "you don’t need to check out our company with anyone, our offer is real". If you hear these lines or anything similar, just say "no thank you" and hang up.