At Telco Credit Union, we know how important it is to protect your finances and your personal information. Be vigilant when it comes to scams and frauds. Telco serves the Eastern North Carolina area, including Greenville, Tarboro, and Rocky Mount. You can trust Telco with all your financial needs, whether you’re looking to open a checking or savings account, take out a loan, finance your mortgage, or become a Telco member/owner.
How can you protect yourself from identity fraud? Follow all these steps below:
- Do not share personal information. Whether over the telephone, through the mail, or on the Internet, do not share your financial account information or Social Security numbers unless you know the person requesting the information is who he or she claims to be.
- Control access to your financial information. Store your personal information in a safe place, and tear up or shred old credit card and ATM receipts, old account statements, and unused credit card offers before throwing them away.
- Protect your PINs and other passwords. Avoid using easily available information such as your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number, or your phone number, as identity thieves can use this information to access your accounts.
- Carry only the minimum amount of identifying information and number of credit cards that you need.
- Monitor billing cycles and statements. Contact the credit union if you do not receive a monthly bill. It may mean that an identity theft diverted the bill.
- Check account statements carefully. Ensure that you authorized all charges, share drafts, or withdrawals on the statement.
- Guard your mail from theft. If you have the type of mailbox with a flag to signal that the box contains mail, do not leave bill payment envelopes in your mailbox with the flag raised. Instead, deposit them in a post office collection box or at the local post office. Remove incoming mail promptly.
- Monitor your credit report. Consumers are entitled to one free credit report from each credit reporting agency annually. Learn more.
- Opt out of pre-approved credit cards, direct mail lists and telephone solicitation.
To stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers, request to opt out online or call 888-5-OPT-OUT (567-8688).
To reduce the number of phone solicitations you receive from national marketers, register for the National Do Not Call Registry.
To remove your name from many national direct mail lists, visit the Direct Marketing Association’s DMA Choice tool.