Protect yourself with security tips

All it takes is one small mistake. You throw away an account statement without shredding it first. You lose your list of account passwords and PIN numbers. You forget to put your mail on hold during a vacation. You reply to a suspicious email.

Those mistakes are ideal opportunities for credit card thieves and scam artists. The criminals use your information to make unauthorized purchases. Start protecting yourself against credit or debit card fraud and other scams today.

Password tips

Every member who logs into his or her TCU account needs a password, and it needs to be verified. When you enter your password online, it's compared with the password that's stored in our secure data center.

You can enter your password incorrectly a limited number of times. If you exceed the allowance, we'll lock your online banking account until you call us to reinitialize the account. We monitor and record "bad-login" attempts to detect any suspicious activity (i.e. someone trying to guess your password).

You play a crucial role in preventing others from logging in to your account. Never use easy-to-guess passwords, like:

• Birth dates
• First names
• Pet names
• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Social Security numbers
• Information found on your social media sites

Never reveal your password to another person. You should periodically change your password in the User Option setting in the online banking portal.

Phishing prevention

Phishing (FISH-ing) is a scheme used to trick someone into providing bank, credit card or financial account information. The scammers send a fraudulent email purporting to be from a bank, Internet service provider or another institution to get the information. The perpetrator may be asking for account numbers, passwords or any other personal financial information – in other words, thieves are "phishing" for information.

5 ways to prevent Phishing

• Never respond to unsolicited email from an unfamiliar source. This confirms an active address to the attacker, and they will be back.
• Never click any link in a suspicious email. This could take you to a site controlled by the criminals, download spyware that can be used to steal information or download a virus to your computer.
• Never open an attachment from an unfamiliar source. This could infect your computer with a virus or spyware.
• Never give out your personal or financial information over the phone or the computer unless you initiated the contact. We will never ask you to "verify" your financial information via email or ask you to click on a special site link.
• Check for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your browser and make sure the address begins with "https" – the 's' indicates 'secure.' This is no guarantee, but the lack of these icons or "https" does indicate that the website isn't secure.

For more information on how to prevent phishing, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG).

Credit or debit card fraud prevention

Credit or debit card fraud occurs when someone steals another person's credit or debit (ATM) card, or the identifying information from one, and uses it to make purchases with no intention of paying the cardholder or the merchant.

Pay attention to pins and paper

• Never write PIN numbers on your card or keep them in your wallet.
• Never use the same PIN or ID number for all your cards.
• Don't give your PIN number to anyone. Financial representatives, law enforcement officers or merchants should never ask you for this information.
• Do not use obvious numbers for your PIN. Avoid using digits from your telephone number, Social Security number, date of birth or any number someone could easily figure out.
• Never throw account statements or preapproved card offers in the trash. Shred them or destroy them beyond repair.
• Always verify that everything on your statement is correct. Immediately report any discrepancies to your credit or debit card issuer.
• Opt out of receiving paper statements by enrolling in online accounts.
• Before going on vacation, have the post office hold your mail.
• If you know a statement is late in the mail, contact the card issuer immediately.