Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information, such as your name, Social Security Number, bank account numbers, or credit card data, to commit fraud or other criminal activities. Such stolen personal information is typically used to make unauthorized purchases, open new accounts, apply for loans, or file fraudulent tax returns. Identity theft can damage your credit status and cost you time and money.
We recommend that you regularly review statements from your accounts and periodically check your credit report. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com, by calling toll-free 1(877) 322-8228, or by mailing an Annual Credit Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5281.
You can also obtain by using WESLA Federal Credit Union's Credit Sense through the Online Banking portal or Mobile Banking App. Credit Sense is a free service that helps you understand your current credit score, gives you access to your full credit report, provides credit monitoring alerts, shows you how you can improve it, and see ways you can save money on new and existing loans. Log in now to enroll.
You should remain vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing account statements and monitoring your free credit report. Look for accounts or creditor inquiries that you did not initiate or do not recognize. Look for information such as home address and Social Security Number that is not accurate. If you see anything you do not understand, you should call the credit reporting agency at the telephone number on the report. You should also call the local police department and file a report of identity theft. Finally, you should make sure to keep a copy of the police report in case you need to provide it to creditors or credit reporting agencies when accessing or disputing inaccurate information.
You have rights under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs the collection and use of information about you by consumer reporting agencies. For more information about your rights under the FCRA, please visit www.ftc.gov.
Credit Freeze
Credit freezes and fraud alerts can protect you from identity theft or prevent further misuse of your personal information if it was stolen.
Who can place one? Anyone can freeze their credit report, even if their identity has not been stolen.
What it does: A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, which means you — or others — won’t be able to open a new credit account while the freeze is in place. You can temporarily lift the credit freeze if you need to apply for new credit. When the freeze is in place, you will still be able to do things like apply for a job, rent an apartment, or buy insurance without lifting or removing it.
Duration: A credit freeze lasts until you remove it.
Cost: Free
How to place: Contact each of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Fraud Alerts
Fraud alerts are available in different situations and have different benefits.
Who can place one? Anyone who suspects fraud can place a fraud alert on their credit report.
What it does: A fraud alert will make it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name. A business must verify your identity before it issues new credit in your name. When you place a fraud alert on your credit report, you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.
Duration: A fraud alert lasts one year. After a year, you can renew it.
Cost: Free
How to place: Contact any one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You don’t have to contact all three. The credit bureau you contact must tell the other two to place a fraud alert on your credit report.
Extended Fraud Alert
Who can place one? An extended fraud alert is only available to people who have had their identity stolen and completed an FTC identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov or filed a police report.
What it does: Like a fraud alert, an extended fraud alert will make it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name. A business must contact you before it issues new credit in your name.
When you place an extended fraud alert on your credit report, you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus twice within one year from when you place the alert, which means you could review your credit report six times in a year.
In addition, the credit bureaus will take you off their marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for five years, unless you ask them not to.
Duration: An extended fraud alert lasts seven years.
Cost: Free
How to place: Contact any one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You don’t have to contact all three. The credit bureau you contact must tell the other two to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.
Active Duty Alert
Who can place one? Active duty service members can place an active duty fraud alert.
What it does: An active duty fraud alert will make it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name. A business must verify your identity before it issues new credit in your name.
In addition, the credit bureaus will take you off their marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for two years, unless you ask them not to.
Duration: An active duty fraud alert lasts one year. After a year, you can renew it for the length of your deployment.
Cost: Free
How to place: Contact any one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You don’t have to contact all three. The credit bureau you contact must tell the other two to place an active duty fraud alert on your credit report.
Best Practices for Safe and Secure Online Banking
Your security is important to WESLA Federal Credit Union.
Please remember that WESLA will NEVER contact you and ask you to provide your Online Banking password, full Social Security number, full account number, security questions and answers, or other sensitive information that we already have on file.
If you receive a phone call, text message, email, or letter requesting this information, do not provide it. When in doubt, stop communicating with the sender and contact WESLA directly using a trusted phone number or by visiting one of our branches.
Fraudsters are constantly finding new ways to impersonate financial institutions and create a sense of urgency. Following a few simple security practices can help protect your personal and financial information.
Help Keep Your Information Safe
Never share your Online or Mobile Banking username, password, security codes, or security questions and answers with anyone.
Be cautious of unexpected calls, emails, or text messages claiming to be from WESLA—especially those asking you to click a link, provide personal information, send money, or act immediately.
WESLA may contact you regarding your account, but we will not ask you to provide sensitive information that we already have on file.
Choose strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess. Avoid using names, birthdays, addresses, Social Security numbers, or other easily identifiable information.
Review your accounts regularly and pay attention to transaction notifications and security alerts. If you notice something you don't recognize, contact WESLA immediately.
Never approve a transaction, verification request, or security code that you did not initiate.
Protect documents containing personal information. Store them securely and shred paperwork containing account numbers, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive information before disposing of it.
Avoid storing sensitive financial information in unsecured notes, messages, or files on your phone, computer, or other devices.
When in doubt, call WESLA FCU
Scammers can make phone numbers, emails, and text messages appear legitimate. If something doesn't feel right, don't respond, click a link, or provide information.
Instead, contact WESLA Federal Credit Union directly at 318-687-8700 or 1-800-828-6647, or visit one of our branches. Our team will be happy to help you determine whether a communication is legitimate.
Stop. Verify. Protect. A few extra seconds can make a big difference in keeping your money and personal information safe.
How to Stay Safe Against the Threat of Financial Scams
We strongly recommend you obtain, and keep current, good quality industry-approved anti-virus software on your PC.
Do not use public wi-fi hot spots to access your WESLA FCU account information or other sensitive information from a PC or device. These sites often do not have adequate security controls in place.
Be cautious about information you share on online communities, especially social media.
Do not be taken in by schemes to persuade you to transfer funds to persons or places you are not familiar with. These often take start with someone sending you an unsolicited letter or e-mail promising you a large amount of money if you first send a lesser amount from your account to a location they specify. These are ALWAYS fraud!
Do not open e-mails from persons you don’t know, and do not open any links or attachments in the e-mail. Immediately delete such e-mails and delete them from your “trash” folder as well.
Even if you DO know the person sending you the e-mail, be suspicious if it contains a message you wouldn’t expect to get from that person (for example: “how I got rich quick”), or if it’s just an e-mail with no message and only a link or attachment. Call the individual whose name is on the e-mail and confirm they sent it to you before engaging.
Password protect your PC, laptop, notebook or smartphone to further ensure security of your private information.
When you shop online, make sure you’re using a secure web site, like ones with a URL address that begins with “https” and/or businesses that have had their website certificate verified by a company like Verisign.
Use your e-mail provider’s spam mail filters in order to block viruses on your computer.
Examine account statements you receive from WESLA FCU and immediately report to us any discrepancies or errors. This will minimize your chance of a loss.
Don’t send e-mails containing personal or bank account information, such as your name/address, Social Security Number, account number, passcodes, etc. E-mail is not secure and can easily be accessed by criminals.
And finally: REPORT any crime including harassment to the authorities right away! There may be laws in your state that can protect you and your family.
Important Contacts
For more information about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps for avoiding identity theft, or if you believe you are the victim of identity theft or have a reason to believe your personal information has been misused, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at: FTC Consumer Response center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. 20580, by phone at 1(877) 438-4338, or by visiting www.consumer.ftc.gov. You should also report incidents of suspected identity theft to local law enforcement and the Attorney Generals office in your home state and file a police report.