Scammers get more and more sophisticated with their schemes every day. It’s important to us that our members do not become the victim of fraud schemes. There are a few important things you can do to keep yourself and your accounts protected from scammers. Follow the steps below to help keep yourself protected.

• For starters, it’s critical to safekeep your personal information. Do not share usernames, passwords, account numbers, social security numbers or any other sensitive information with anyone unless you have initiated the contact. If you share this information with people they can gain access to your account.
   
• If anyone is asking you for gift cards, it is a scam. Avoid all requests from strangers asking for gift cards for any reason. 
   
• Be careful responding to emails or strange phone calls. Businesses should never contact you asking you to provide account numbers, login information or to request money from you. Often times, scammers will masquerade as a legitimate company to try and trick you into providing this information. The only time you should provide sensitive information to any company is when you have initiated the contact with the company. Otherwise, you should anticipate you are dealing with a scammer.
   
• Keep your computer up to date by running regular system updates and maintaining active antivirus protection. If you don’t run updates on your computer or have an active antivirus program, it is equivalent to leaving the doors and windows open on your house when you are away. Running updates typically involves the installation of security patches, so if you don’t run the updates you won’t have the most up to date security features on your computer. Make sure to run updates and maintain active antivirus software.
   
• Set up alerts on your credit and debit cards. You can set alerts to notify you when your card is being used. If someone uses your card without authorization you can contact us immediately to shut the card down and replace it. You can set up alerts on your WLSFCU credit card through EZ Card Info. You can set up alerts on your WLSFCU debit card through Card Valet.
   
• Take a look at your credit reports once in a while. You have a right to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. You could order them all at one time, or you could order one report every few months. To order your credit reports, go to annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

Following these guidelines will help keep you and your accounts protected from fraudulent activity. If you ever suspect your account has been exposed to fraud please contact us at 248-624-5222.