Your Security

• General Security Tips
• Privacy
• Safeguard Accounts
• Protect Your Mail
• Passwords and User ID's
• Install and Use Anti-Virus Programs
• Firewalls: What are They?
• What is Phishing?
• How Can I Spot a Phishing Scam?
• How Can I Decrease My Risk of Being a Phishing Victim?
• Report an Online Scam
• Learn More About Phishing
• Recent Phishing Scams
• What to do if You're a Victim

General Security Tips

While anyone can fall prey to fraud and identity theft, there are many ways to minimize your risk. Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union provides these security tips so you can guard against people seeking to defraud you or steal your identity.

If you feel you may be a victim of Identity Theft, visit our What to do if You're a Victim section on this page for more information and a list of resources.

Privacy

• Never give out personal information online or over the phone unless you have initiated the contact. ATFCU will never request that you submit confidential information over non-secure channels such as e-mail or the telephone.
• Don't include information such as your dirver's license or Social Security number on your pre-printed checks.
• Do not carry a list of Personal Identification numbers (PINS) and online passwords in your wallet or purse.
• Should you find it necessary to make a listing of PIN's and passwords, this list should be kept in a secure area of your home. This area should not be adjacent to your computer.
• Avoid using easily guessed or learned information such as your birthday, your area code, or your middle name for passwords.

Safeguard Your Accounts

• Store unused checks in a secure place and shred unnecessary financial documents.
• Avoid writing your account number on envelopes, receipts or other items that may be thrown away later.
• Keep a full listing of your credit cards, ATM and debit cards. An easy way to do this is to photocopy the front and back of all your cards.
• Keep this list in a secure place in your home which is not adjacent to your computer. Should your purse or wallet ever be lost or stolen, you will quickly be able to cancel all the missing cards.

Protect Your Mail

• If you unexpectedly stop receiving bills, statements, or other monthly mailings, contact the issuing company immediately. Someone may have placed a change of address request on your address in order to collect your mail.
• Promptly collect incoming mail, and use a locking mailbox if possible.
• Send outgoing mail from a secured mailbox or a post office. Try to avoid leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox.
• Shred all unwanted pre-approved offers for credit cards, convenience checks and/or loans.
• If you'd prefer to keep these offers out of your mailbox, look for the "opt-out" toll free number which is shown near the bottom of the front page of these soliciations. It may take a couple of months, but by contacting these numbers, you should greatly minimize the number of offers you receive.

Passwords and User ID's

For each online vendor you use, you should have a user ID and password. Try to create the most bizarre and original password, and make sure you protect it. Don't share your password with anyone.

The following easily identifiable items should be avoided when creating passwords.

• Your birthdate or a family member's birthdate
• Names of family members or pets
• Social Security number
• Phone numbers
• Dates of important events, such as anniversaries

Tips for creating strong passwords:

• Use a combination of numbers, letters and punctuation
• Longer passwords are better than short ones
• It's best if your password is something you can remember without writing it down

Install and Use Anti-Virus Programs

Viruses can infect a home computer in many ways: through floppy discs, CD's, e-mail, websites and downloaded files. Anti-virus programs help protect your computer against most viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other unwanted invaders that can make your computer "sick." Viruses, worms and the like often perform malicious acts, such as deleting files, accessing personal data, or turning your computer into a "zombie" which will then infect other computers.

If a file is found to be infected with a virus, most anti-virus programs provide you with options of how to respond, such as removing the harmful item or deleting the file. Installing an anti-virus program and keeping it up to date is the best defense for your home computer. The annual cost to keep anti-virus programs updated is $25 to $35. This is a small investment when you consider what it would cost to repair your computer once it becomes infected.

Firewalls: What are They?

Before you connect your computer to the Internet, you should install a firewall. A firewall can generally be described as a security guard for your home computer. This guard is a piece of software or hardware that helps protect your PC against hackers and many computer viruses and worms. With a firewall, you define which connections between your computer and other computers on the Internet are allowed and which are denied. There are firewall programs, both free and available for purchase, that provide the capabilities you need to help make your home computer more secure.

What is Phishing?

All Internet users should be aware of the online scam known as "phishing"(pronounced "fishing"). Phishing involves the use of e-mail messages that appear to come from your credit union or another trusted business but are actually from imposters.

Phishing e-mails typically ask you to click a link to visit a website, where you're asked to enter or confirm personal financial information such as your account numbers, passwords, Social Security number or other similar data. Although these websites may appear legitimate, they are not. Thieves can collect whatever data you enter and use it to access your personal accounts.

How Can I Spot a Phishing Scam?

Look for the following warning signs:

Language and Tone: The message you receive may urge you to act quickly by suggesting that your account is threatened. It may say that if you fail to update, verify or confirm your personal or account information, access to your accounts will be suspended. The wording may be sloppy or contain misspellings.

Requests for Personal Information: Scam e-mails typically ask for personal or account information such as

• Account numbers
• Credit and check card numbers
• Social Security numbers
• Online banking user ID's and passwords
• Mother's maiden name
• Date of birth
• Other confidential information

Non-Secure Web Pages: Clever thieves can build a fake website that looks nearly identical to an authentic one. They can even alter the URL (the Web address) that appears in your browser window. Watch out for non-secure Web pages that ask for sensitive information. Secure sites will typically display a lock in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window.

How Can I Decrease My Risk of Being a Phishing Victim?

Be Suspicious of Demanding Messages: Messages threatening to terminate or suspend your account without your quick response should be treated as suspicious. A legitimate financial institution or business should not request personal information from you over an unsecured website. When in doubt, call the business' customer service number (available on your account statement) to confirm the status of your account. Do not use the telephone numbers shown on the suspected website.

Always Type in the URL of the Web Page You Need: Phishing scammers rely on embedded links that take you to fake websites. It takes longer but it's much safer to type the Web address directly into your browser so you know you're visiting the legitimate site.

Protect Your Password: Don't write down sensitive personal information such as your password or Social Security number. Change your password frequently.

Keep Your Computer Up-To-Date: Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union recommends that you install anti-virus and firewall programs to help keep your computer safe.

Report an Online Scam

If you receive suspicious e-mail that appears to come from Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union, please notify us immediately by forwarding the e-mail to www.abileneteachersfcu.org Do not open any attachements or click on any links found in suspicious e-mail.

You may also want to forward it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

If you believe that you have provided personal or account information in response to a fraudulent website or e-mail, please contact the Accounting Department at Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union at 325-677-2274 or 800-677-6770. Also remember to contact the other financial institutions with which you have accounts.

Learn More About Phishing

The following are some useful resources:

• http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
• http://www.idtheftcenter.org
• http://www.texasfightsidtheft.gov/

Recent Phishing Scams

So far, credit unions in the Abilene area have been fortunate. We have not yet been widely targeted by computer hackers trying to obtain personal information from our members. There have been some isolated attacks but nothing which shows serious organization.

However, credit unions in large metropolitan areas are dealing with this problem on a frequent basis and it will only be a matter of time before the fraudsters move to smaller markets. The examples below are just a few of the imaginative ways phishers use to "hook" unwary consumers.

• Some members have recently received e-mail messages stating that "there have been a large number of identity theft attempts targeting (fill in the blank.)" The e-mail requests that members confirm their identity for personal online banking by clicking a link and logging onto their accounts.
• Another recent fraudulent e-mail pretends to be a "Security Center Advisory" that informs members that their account has been "randomly selected for maintenance" and that they need to click a link to verify their identity.
• Yet another fraudulent e-mail states that there is a pending charge (often a quite large one) to the member's credit card and, in order to decline the transaction, the member needs to click a button or link in the e-mail message.

All of these e-mail messages contain links that appear to take members to legitimate business sites. However, the Web pages that they connect to are not legitimate. They actually take members to fake Web pages where the scammers collect personal and account information.

What To Do If You're a Victim

• Contact ATFCU immediately to alert us to the situation.
• Contact one of the three major credit bureaus and discuss whether you need to place a fraud alert on your file, which will help prevent thieves from opening a new account in your name. Here is the contact information for each bureau's fraud division:
  • Equifax
    800-525-6285
    P.O. Box 740250
    Atlanta, GA 30374
  • Experian
    888-397-3742
    P.O. Box 1017
    Allen, TX 75013
  • TransUnion
    800-680-7289
    P.O. Box 6790
    Fullerton, CA 92634
• Contact all creditors about fraudulent accounts and follow up each conversation with a letter. This includes credit card companies, retailers, utility companies, brokerage companies and any other establishment with whom you have a financial relationship.
• Close suspicious accounts and open new ones using new passwords and PIN's. (Personal Identifiation Numbers)
• File a report with your local police or the police where the theft took place. Make multiple copies of the report in case creditors need proof of the crime.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at the Identity Theft Hotline, toll free at 877-438-4338.
• Ask your creditors if they'll accept the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft Affidavit. You can get one by calling the FTC at 877-438-4338. The affidavit allows consumers to report identity theft to several companies simultaneously.
• If it appears that someone is using your Social Security Number, contact the Social Security Administration to verify the accuracy of your reported earnings and your name. Call 800-772-1213 to check your Social Security statement.