TEFCU will NEVER request your personal information via email, text message or phone call. If you receive any such communication, do not respond to it, and please notify us immediately.

Identity theft

By raising your security awareness, you can prevent many different types of identity theft and keep yourself and your finances safe. Follow these valuable tips!

Beware of any unsolicited e-mails claiming to be from the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), the Texas Credit Union League (TCUL), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), or any individual credit union. These are "phishing" scams, designed to steal your personal information. These emails usually include links to fraudulent websites that try to trick you into thinking you are at the real website.

Remember, Texoma Educators Federal Credit Union and other credit union organizations will NEVER e-mail you to request your credit union member number, PIN, credit or debit card numbers, or ANY other personal information.

If you doubt the legitimacy of any communication, DO NOT respond. Instead, contact Texoma Educators FCU through familiar communication channels.

Preventing identity theft

How can I prevent identity theft from happening to me?

• Carry only essential credit cards and identification in your wallet or purse. Especially do not carry your social security card.
• Review your TEFCU credit card and account statements regularly to look for fraudulent charges or discrepancies.
• Get a copy of your credit report annually, and review it carefully. Notify the credit bureau immediately of any suspicious or inaccurate information.
• Beware of any merchant who asks you to present a photo ID to complete a credit card transaction. If you are asked for ID, do not permit the merchant to copy any information onto the sales draft.
• Install a locked mailbox at your residence. Pick up your mail as soon as possible, and use a USPS dropbox for outgoing mail.
• Purchase a paper shredder and shred all documents containing account numbers, applications, or private information. Search online for guidance about the length of time you should keep personal records.
• Before you shop online, check www.bbbonline.com/consumer to locate companies that comply to the standards of the Better Business Bureau.
• Never provide your social security number online.
• Avoid creating account passwords such as your birth date, mother's maiden name, or social security number. Choose something more obscure, and include letters, numbers and symbols.
• Never provide personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call and are certain you are dealing with a reputable party.
• Report all lost or stolen credit cards or checks immediately.
• Maintain a list of the credit cards you use, and cancel the ones you do not use.
• Write down or photocopy the front and back of all credit cards, and keep in a secure location. Do the same for all bank and investment accounts.

Recovering from identity theft

If you think your identity has been stolen, take these steps immediately:

• Notify the police and file a complaint.
• Alert Texoma Educators Federal Credit Union, and any other financial institutions you do business with, to flag your accounts and to inform you of any unusual activity.
• Contact your creditors to inform them of the problem.
• Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file.

Equifax
Order a report: 800.685.1111 
Report fraud: call 800.525.6285 and 
Write to P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian
Order a report: 888.397.3742 
Report fraud: call 888.397.3742 and 
Write to P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 

TransUnion
Order a report: 800.888.4213
Report fraud: call 800.680.7289 and 
Write to P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834

Other authorities you might want to contact in case of fraud:

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Social Security Administration

Additional resources

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or 877.IDTHEFT

Request free fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Common scams

ATM/Debit Card Fraud — Some perpetrators target ATM and debit cards as a primary source to gain unauthorized access to your accounts. Many ATM cards double as debit cards and, even without knowing your PIN (personal identification number), a crook can clean you out. Scammers may gain access to your card number (not the card itself) in a variety of ways:

• A thief may find your discarded receipts in the trash.
• A dishonest clerk could make an extra imprint or scan of your card for their personal use.
• You could be tricked into giving your card number over the phone or online.

Bank Scams — A so-called “representative” of your financial institution calls and says they have discovered someone is writing checks on your account. The caller instructs you to retrieve your checkbook and read the number along the bottom of the check from left to right. Of course, banks and credit unions WILL NOT call and request that you read back your account number (which they assigned to you). Hang up, and report the incident.

Account Verification — An unsolicited email or telephone caller asks you to verify your account information including personal information. Companies will never ask you to verify your password or ask for credit card information through email or through a telephone call that you did not initiate.

Romance & Friendship Scams — Criminals pose as interested romantic partners or friends, usually via social media or dating websites, to capitalize on their victims’ desire to find companions. If someone you’ve known only a short time—or become reacquainted with—requests money or personal information, wait until you know them better, such as meeting in person and having them meet your family and friends. Be suspicious of new contacts who live across the country, or even overseas, who quickly initiate a bond with you. If you have not met them in person, this common scam is called “catfishing.” Even video calls can be faked through the latest technology, so beware.

Grandparent Scams — Criminals pose as a relative—usually a child or grandchild—claiming to be in immediate financial need. These scammers prey on adults who are hard of hearing and may not recognize their grandchild’s voice. Scammers also may claim they are calling/texting from a friend's phone. The caller may have found your grandchild’s name through your social media posts or other means.

Tech Support Scams — Criminals pose as technology support representatives and offer to fix computer issues, renew your subscription or provide a refund.

  Fake Websites — Some scammers create fake websites posing as legitimate companies. Be careful if you search online for support from companies such as Amazon, Google, Netflix, Geek Squad, Norton, Microsoft and the like. Your search results may include links to these fake criminal websites (with the scammer's phone number and email address), that look nearly identical to the actual company's site. The URL may be very similar to the actual company's we address. In addition, the fake website may have a form that requests your personal information and asks you to set up a user name and password. Stay alert and suspicious of websites that are new to you.

  Pop-up Windows — Also beware of pop-up warnings or ads on your device. If a pop-up looks like an error message and asks you to click a link or call a number, it likely is “malware” from a scammer. A reputable company will never create a pop-up that requires you to click a link or call a number.

  Remote Access — Beware of any caller who asks you to download software online or to your device. Common applications such as TeamViewer, SupRemo, RemotePC and AnyDesk can be used by the scammer to gain remote access to your computer or smart phone. DO NOT download these except for persons you trust implicitly. (Have you downloaded one at the request of someone you now deem to be suspicious? Go to your Applications folder, and delete/uninstall the app immediately to terminate their access to your device.)

• If you download remote access software, the scammer may ask you to visit your banking website to gain access to your accounts.
• They may monitor your computer for weeks, or even months, as you enter passwords to other sites that you use. 
• The scammer may establish a password on your computer that only they know; they may lock you out of your device until you pay a ransom to regain access.
• The scammer may poke through your files seeking personal information for purposes of identity theft.
• The scammer may sell your information to other scammers.

Refund Scams — Sometimes scammers will claim that you are due a refund from their company. They may try to gain access to your computer, saying they must do so in order to pay you the supposed refund. (See Remote Access above.) With this access, they can manipulate a website’s code to make it appear temporarily that they have sent you too much money, then insist that you pay the overage back to them, even claiming that they will lose their job if you do not comply. ALWAYS call your financial institution to confirm any large “refunds,” and do not send money to any individual or company that claims they’ve sent you too much.

Gift Card & Cryptocurrency Scams — Scammers may pose as reputable companies or even government agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service or Drug Enforcement Administration. Through some complex explanation or wild story, they claim that you owe them money (see above: Refund Scams and Tech Support Scams). They may request that you pay them with a gift card or even cryptocurrency. At such requests, your red flags should be going up. NO reputable company will require reimbursement via gift card or cryptocurrency. Beware of ANY requests for gift cards or cryptocurrency, as the scammer may be posing as your boss, relative or other close contact. These are scams.

Jury Duty Scams — A scammer calls claiming to work for the local court and claims you've failed to report for jury duty. He tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. The victim rightly claims that they never received the jury duty notification. The scammer then asks the victim for confidential information for "verification" purposes. Specifically, the scammer asks for the victim's social security number, birth date, and sometimes even for credit card numbers and other private information — exactly what the scammer needs to commit identity theft. Never give out such information unless you are SURE about the caller's identity.

Online Job Scams — People are being solicited for what appears to be a lucrative position that will allow them to work as an independent agent or from their home. Tips to avoid this type of scam:

• Be cautious of any employer offering employment without an interview (either in person or by phone).
• Investigate thoroughly any employer requesting that you transfer funds or receive packages for reshipment, especially if they are located overseas. Most of these employment offers are check-cashing or shipping scams!
• Beware of any company that requires you to purchase a laptop or printer, stating that you will be reimbursed. These are scams.
• Do not provide your social security number or any other sensitive information, unless you are confident that the employer is legitimate and that you are speaking to an actual employee.
• Be cautious of job links sent to you in emails, as they could be "phishing" scams.

Travel Fraud — While some travel opportunities sold over the phone or offered via mail, email or fax are legitimate, many are scams that defraud consumers out of millions of dollars. Don't give your credit card number or bank information over the phone unless you are SURE the person you're speaking with is a legitimate representative with a reputable organization. 

Advance Fee Scams (aka Nigerian 419 Scam) — A so-called “representative” of a foreign government asks you to help move money from one account to another. You are then asked to provide upfront or advance fees for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees or bribes.

Lottery Scams — Fraudsters use e-mail, texts or social media, in conjunction with letters and phone calls, to convince victims they’ve won an overseas lottery. The scammer's goal is to trick consumers into sharing bank account numbers or paying upfront fees to claim winnings that never materialize. 

Some of the above information was sourced from the FBI website.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a scam where communications (such as letters, texts, phone calls, social media posts, emails) claim to be from a legitimate company in an attempt to obtain personal information for identity theft. Again, don't give out personal information over the phone, through the mail or online unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know with whom you're dealing.

Phishing also comes in the form of social media posts, such as "What is the first concert you attended?", "Do you remember your first grade teacher?" or "What car model did you learn to drive on?" These posts aim to get your answers to common security questions. Scammers then piece together your identity from other sources and attempt to access your accounts.

Never respond to any unsolicited request for confidential information. Even social media polls that seem fun and harmless are boons to online scammers.

We're here to help keep your funds safe

Contact us today with questions or concerns, large or small. 

Stay safe and keep your identity secure!