Fraud & Scam Resources

How to Protect Your Financial Identity and Credit History

Sign up for Online Banking.
Set up text or email alerts in online banking or our mobile app to notify you of account transactions. Contact us immediately if any transactions appear to be suspicious.
If you have credit cards or accounts with another financial institution, monitor those as well, and notify the provider if you detect suspicious activity.
Monitor your credit. Each of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) offers a free annual report once a year. More information is available at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
If you do not have upcoming large purchases, such as a home, consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit reports. This can prevent criminals from obtaining credit in your name. This service is free, and you can do it yourself. More information can be found here.
If you have been the victim of a fraud or identity theft, file a local police report. Then, file a short report with the Federal Trade Commission to report the fraud or identity theft.
Consider setting up an IRS account. If you do so using your social security number, it will prevent criminals from establishing an account using your identity. You may also lock your social security number, which can be done here.
Keep your notes. The paper trail may become a useful resource should you face identity theft issues or inaccuracies in your credit report in the future.

Be Aware of Current Scams and Fraud

IRS TAX REFUND EMAIL AND TEXT SCAM
Scammers are sending text and email messages about your “tax refund” or “tax refund e-statement.” They tell you to click a link — supposedly to check on your “tax refund e-statement” or “fill out a form to get your refund.” But it’s a scam and if you click that link, the scammer might steal your identity or put malware on your phone or computer. The real IRS won’t contact you by email, text message, or social media to get your personal or financial information. Click here to learn more.

ONLINE ACCOUNT TAKEOVER
OAT fraud is a form of identity theft where fraudsters gain access to the victim’s login credentials and log in to an online app or service as you. The recent incidents that we’ve seen involve fraudsters posing as employees of Century Link, Amazon, Social Security, Microsoft, banks, and credit unions. Click here to learn more and safeguard your accounts.

IMPOSTER SCAMS
Imposter scams occur when someone pretends to be a trusted person or organization in order to trick you into giving them money or personal information. They may try to reach you via calls, texts or email, and might pose as government officials, tech support, family members in trouble, or even credit union employees. Click here to learn more.

TEXT FRAUD
PNWFCU will never send you a link via text unless you initiate the communication and ask for a link. If you receive such a message, do not click on it. If you are ever unsure of a communication, call us immediately at 800-444-5858.

SPOOFED WEBSITES
Watch out for spoofed websites. Hackers are increasingly making fake banking websites that look authentic. Then they send these website links to credit union members, hoping you’ll enter your login credentials for them to harvest. Make sure to only click links you trust, or access your online banking account from a saved bookmark.

ACCOUNT SCAM ALERT
Never offer account, card, Zelle^®, or online banking information by phone or text with anyone claiming to be a PNWFCU employee, or with anyone claiming to be from our fraud department. We will never call you and ask you for this information. The only time PNWFCU will ask for your personal information will be to verify your identity on a call that you have initiated. Please read about Fraud Verification Alert Scams for more information. If you ever receive a voice or a text message from us and are unsure about responding to it, call us directly for assistance at 503-256-5858 or 800-444-5858.

FRAUD TEXT ALERTS
PNWFCU continually monitors our members’ debit and credit cards for fraudulent activity. If our fraud monitoring service detects a suspicious transaction on your account, we will alert you via Fraud Text Alerts, a text message of the transaction.

We will never send you a message asking for personal, card, or account information. If you receive a message asking for this type of information, DO NOT respond and immediately contact us at 800-444-5858. The only time PNWFCU will ask for your personal information will be to verify your identity on a call that you have initiated. Click here for more information.

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