|
Publix Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) recognizes that you may have concerns about the safety and security of your money and Personal Information, and we want you to know that we have taken all the appropriate steps required to protect your Account Information, Privacy, and Personal Information.
With the number of news stories on Fraudulent E-mails, Identity Theft, and “Phishing” scams on the rise, we would like to remind you to remain alert and cautious when giving out your Personal Information either over the phone or on-line. If you receive any suspicious E-mails or Phone Calls which request your personal information and claim to be from PEFCU, please contact us immediately at: abuse@pefcu.com or call toll-free 1-800-226-6673.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued three simple recommendations – Stop, Look, and Call - that Internet users can follow when they see E-mails or Web Sites that may be fraudulent. The DOJ’s recommendations are listed below and a full report of the DOJ’s “Special Report on Phishing” can be found at: www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/Phishing.pdf
1. Stop. A Phishing E-mail typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements with one purpose in mind. They want people to react immediately to that false information, by clicking on the link and inputting the requested data before they take time to think through what they are doing. Internet users, however, need to resist that impulse to click immediately. No matter how upsetting or exciting the statements in the E-mail may be there is always enough time to check out the information more closely.
2. Look. Internet users should look more closely at the claims made in the E-mail, think about whether those claims make sense, and be highly suspicious if the E-mail asks for numerous items of their personal information such as: Account Numbers, User Names, or Passwords.
For example: If the E-mail indicates that it comes from a bank or other financial institution where you have a bank or credit card account, but tells you that you have to enter your account information again, that makes no sense. Legitimate banks and financial institutions already have their customers' account numbers in their records. Even if the E-mail says a customer's account is being terminated, the real bank or financial institution will still have that customer's account number and identifying information.
If the E-mail says that you have won a prize or are entitled to receive some special “deal,” but asks for financial or personal data, there is good reason to be highly suspicious. Legitimate companies that want to give you a real prize don’t ask you for extensive amounts of personal and financial information before you're entitled to receive it.
3. Call. If the E-mail states it is from a legitimate company or financial institution, Internet users should call or E-mail that company directly and ask whether the E-mail is really from that company. To be sure that they are contacting the real company or institution where they have accounts, credit-card account holders can call the toll-free customer numbers on the backs of their cards, and bank customers can call the telephone numbers on their bank statements.
Ten Things the IRS Wants You to Know About Identity Theft
1. If you receive a letter or notice from the IRS which leads you to believe someone may have fraudulently used your Social Security Number, respond immediately to the name and address or phone number printed on the IRS notice.
2. If you receive a letter from the IRS that indicates more than one tax return was filed for you, this may be a sign that your SSN was used fraudulently.
3. Another sign that you may be the target of identity theft is an IRS letter indicating you received wages from an employer unknown to you.
4. The IRS has a department which deals specifically with identity theft issues. The IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit is available if you have been in contact with the IRS about an identity theft issue and have not achieved a resolution.
5. You can contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit by calling the Identity Theft Hotline at 800-908-4490 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific Standard Time).
6. The IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit is also available if you believe your identity may be at risk of being stolen due to a lost or stolen purse or wallet or due to questionable activity on your credit card or your credit report.
7. The IRS never initiates communication with taxpayers about their tax account through emails. If you receive an e-mail or find a Web site you think is pretending to be the IRS, forward the e-mail or Web site URL to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
8. The IRS has many more resources available to help inform taxpayers about identity theft on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov. On IRS.gov you can access information on how to report scams and bogus IRS Web sites. You can also visit the IRS Identity Theft Resource Page, which you can find by typing Identity Theft Resource Page in the search box on the IRS.gov home page.
9. The Federal Trade Commission is also available to assist taxpayers with identity theft issues. You can reach them at 877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338).
10. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for protection tips from the federal government and the technology industry.
Preventing Online Identity Theft
Here are some additional tips and resources that we recommend to help prevent becoming a victim of Identity Theft.
Take these important steps today to protect your name, credit, and reputation:
REVIEW YOUR CREDIT REPORT from each of the three credit agencies listed below at least once a year. See if there are accounts or addresses you don’t recognize. Is your social security number correct? Have there been more credit inquiries than normal? Any of these may be early signs of Identity Theft. If you find something suspicious on your credit report, call the agency’s fraud hotline immediately.
Get a Free Credit Report annually to help you reduce your risk of Identity Theft.
An amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months.
How can you order your free credit report? By visiting:
www.annualcreditreport.com, calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an
Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service, PO BOX 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
A copy of the request form can be found at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually. They are only providing the free annual credit reports through the source listed above.
LIMIT THE USE OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Provide your Social Security Number only when necessary and never provide it in response to an unsolicited E-mail. Don’t carry the card in your wallet and never print it on your checks.
SHRED UNEEDED IMPORTANT PAPERS—especially credit card solicitations. Identity Thieves love to get their hands on credit card solicitations. .
DON’T USE YOUR MOTHER’S MAIDEN NAME as a password on personal accounts – it is too easy to learn. Change it to another word. When creating a password, include letters, numbers, and symbols (for example: E$G%2Q) since they are more difficult for Identity Thieves to guess.
DON’T GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION ONLINE OR ON THE PHONE – unless you initiated the contact and you know the party you are dealing with.
PROTECT YOUR ONLINE LOG-INS AND PASSWORDS – Don’t share your passwords or login names and avoid leaving or writing them down near or around your computer. Protect them as you do your ATM and credit card numbers.
LEARN MORE ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF BY VISITING:
• www.identitytheft.org
• www.privacyrights.org
• www.idtheftcenter.org
• www.consumer.gov/idtheft
• www.antiphishing.org
• www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
• www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/Phishing.pdf
DON’T BE A VICTIM… If you suspect Identity Theft or on-line fraud, report it to your local police, the three credit agencies listed below, and the Federal Trade Commission.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
INTERNET CRIME COMPLAINT CENTER
www.ic3.gov
Credit Reporting Agencies
EQUIFAX
To report fraud: 888-766-0008
To order your credit report: 800-685-1111
www.equifax.com
TRANSUNION
To report fraud: 800-888-4213
To order your credit report: 800-888-4213
www.transunion.com
EXPERIAN
To report fraud: 888-397-3742
To order your credit report: 888-397-3742
www.experian.com
|
