Fraud Protection

Team One may sometimes reissue credit cards and debit cards to our Members as a way to safeguard your account integrity as a result of third-party information breaches. It is the credit union’s policy to issue new credit cards or debit cards when we are notified of a credible breach that could compromise the security of our Member’s accounts. Although third-party breaches are not the fault of the credit union and issuing new cards is costly, maintaining our high security standards for your accounts is our top priority.

Before you do anything on your credit union’s website, ensure the URL is correct. Many scammers use URLs that deliberately look very similar to a real credit union, but link to a copycat website. Scammers hope to lure you into the “evil twin” website to trick you into giving them personal information such as your account number and password.

If you have doubts that you’re on the right page you can retype the URL into your browser, conduct an internet search for your credit union’s name, and see if the same website is in the top listing. You can also read the website’s “About Us” section to look for a brief history of the credit union, address and information about its insurance coverage.

Kids have lots of opportunities for socializing online, but they come with certain risks. Parents can help reduce these risks by talking to kids about making safe, responsible decisions.

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) helps you protect your children's privacy. Enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), COPPA requires websites to get parental consent before collecting or sharing information from children who are under 13 years old.

Take advantage of your COPPA rights. Your child's personal information is valuable, and you can do a lot to protect it.

• Double your login protection. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. Use it for email, banking, social media, and any other service that requires logging in. If MFA is an option, enable it by using a trusted mobile device, such as your smartphone, an authenticator app, or a secure token—a small physical device that can hook onto your key ring. 
• Be up to date. Keep your software updated to the latest version available. Maintain your security settings to keeping your information safe by turning on automatic updates so you don’t have to think about it, and set your security software to run regular scans.
• If you connect, you must protect. Whether it’s your computer, smartphone, game device, or other network devices, the best defense against viruses and malware is to update to the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems. Sign up for automatic updates, if you can, and protect your devices with anti-virus software. 
• Play hard to get with strangers. Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from—even if the details appear accurate— or if the email looks “phishy,” do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available use the “junk” or “block” option to no longer receive messages from a particular sender.
• Never click and tell. Limit what information you post on social media—from personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee. What many people don’t realize is that these seemingly random details are all that criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and your physical belongings—online and in the real world. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, address, birthday, and even vacation plans. Disable location services that allow anyone to see where you are—and where you aren’t—at any given time.
• Keep tabs on your apps. Most connected appliances, toys, and devices are supported by a mobile application. Your mobile device could be filled with suspicious apps running in the background or using default permissions you never realized you approved—gathering your personal information without your knowledge while also putting your identity and privacy at risk. Check your app permissions and use the “rule of least privilege” to delete what you don’t need or no longer use. Learn to just say “no” to privilege requests that don’t make sense. Only download apps from trusted vendors and sources.
• Stay protected while connected. Before you connect to any public wireless hotspot—such as at an airport, hotel, or café—be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login procedures with appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate. If you do use an unsecured public access point, practice good Internet hygiene by avoiding sensitive activities (e.g., banking) that require passwords or credit cards. Your personal hotspot is often a safer alternative to free Wi-Fi. Only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping or banking.

• Do not give any personal information (name, address, account information, email or phone number) to anyone before verifying their credentials. Please note: Team One Credit Union will never call you and ask you for your account number or credit card number.
• Beware of phishing emails, even if they look genuine. Remember that Team One Credit Union and other financial institutions will not send you an email asking you to click on a link and confirm your financial details. You can call us if you are concerned about an email that you have received.
• Shred documents that are no longer needed that contain personal or financial information including credit card solicitation mailers.
• Protect yourself with an Identity Protection service such as IDProtect® through Team One Credit Union which provides Comprehensive Identity Theft Resolution Services and Toll-free access to a dedicated consumer fraud specialist (recovery professional), who will work with you until your case is completely resolved. You can also utilize the monitoring service to monitor your minor children’s identity for fraud or SSN usage/activity. It also includes free credit score reporting, credit monitoring, identity theft monitoring, and more.
• Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed. Ensure your browser is set to the highest level of security notification and monitoring to prevent malware issues and computer crimes.
• Protect your online credit and debit transactions by registering your Team One Visa Credit Card with Verified by Visa. Verified by Visa gives you additional protection in your online purchases when doing business with a participating merchant. The enrollment process is free, easy and secure. For additional information, visit verifiedbyvisa.com.
• If you receive bills, invoices or receipts for items you haven’t purchased, or documents from financial institutions you don’t normally bank with, don’t ignore them. This may be an indication that your identity may have been stolen.
• Obtain your credit report periodically through the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Transunion and Experian) and check them for accuracy.
• Help reduce fraud and monitor your credit card spending by using Purchase Alerts. This free service through Team One powered by Visa, allows you to receive real time updates on your Team One Visa® Credit Card and Debit card activity. After your Visa card has been used, you'll receive an alert through text message or email. If there is fraudulent activity, you can find out within minutes and can act quickly to resolve the situation.
• Be on the look-out for skimmer devices on ATMs and merchant card readers. Skimmers are fraudulent card readers attached to the real payment terminals with the purpose of harvesting data from every person that swipes their card. When you approach an ATM or use your card at a store terminal, check for signs of tampering. If something looks different, such as a different color or material, graphics that aren't aligned correctly, or anything else that doesn't look right, don't use that ATM or card reader at the checkout line.
• Establish strong passwords and utilize a password management tool.
• Beware of phone calls or emails offering you money, a job, or a business deal from people or companies that you are not in contact with. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.