Protection Your Information                                                                                                          
Avoid Check Scams and Fraud

•Check writing is an old system that requires the check to be transferred between hands several times before the process is complete. As it is carried about and transferred between hands, the check is subject to theft by strangers or bad employees.

•Baby Boomers did not grow up with technology. Even though check writing is not the safest and most efficient means to transfer funds today, many of us are comfortable with the process and resistive to change.

•Many stores, because of an outdated concept of not wanting to offend or inconvenience customers, do not ask for or verify the identity of the person presenting a check. The losses from fraud are simply considered a cost of doing business and are passed on to the consumer through increased prices for goods.

•If a store has a check acceptance policy, the process relies on the cashier to be diligent and follow the rules. When was the last time a cashier really looked at your check, compared your signature or even looked at the picture on your identification?

•With modern technology, fraudsters do not have to steal your checks to use your bank account. Simply stated, all they need is to memorize or write down information from your blank check. Criminals can use a common $29.99 computer program to easily print out new checks using your bank account information. Your checking account number can be used similar to a credit card number. It can be used over the telephone or internet to order a crook’s next big screen television.

•Your money is gone and unavailable to use to pay your bills. With check fraud, when you discover the fraud, the money has already been removed from your account. Your bank will probably give you back your money, but there will be a delay in the return. After filling out an affidavit of forgery and the claim being accepted, your account will be reimbursed. This could take days, or even weeks.

Tips for using checks:
•Protect all checks, including the blank ones. If you carry a checkbook, take the same care as if it was cash. Remember, the information on your blank check is valuable to fraudsters.

•Limit the amount of personal information printed on your checks. Never place your Social Security number or date of birth on a check. It is also suggested to not print your driver’s license on your check.

•If you are paying a bill, do not write your credit card number or account number in the comment section of the check. After the check is cancelled, that information will be available to a thief if the check is misplaced.

•If possible, hand deliver all completed checks so they cannot be intercepted by bad guys. Many checks are stolen from outgoing or incoming mail. Do not use an unlocked rural mail box for outgoing or incoming checks.

•Use a check register. If you use a checkbook that has an “NCR” copy, make sure the copy blocks out the signature portion of the check. Use the register to monitor your purchases and balances. Reconcile your bank statement within 30 days, or you may be liable for any losses due to check fraud.

•Consider paying some of your bills online. It is safe and free with a Greensboro Municipal Checking account. The fewer checks floating around, the better.

•If you prefer a paper trail, Greensboro Municipal has offers a Web Bill pay program which will send out a check for you. The advantage to this is your account number is not exposed to a thief. The account number on the mailed check belongs to the bank. If the check is stolen, nothing is taken out of your account. You do not have to ask for your money back, and the thief does not have direct access to your account.

•Store your blank checks, deposit slips, bank statements and cancelled checks in a secure location. If your checks are stolen, close the account.

A group of ATM card “skimmers” are attacking the Southeast, attaching skimmers to ATM machines. These criminals then use the data to produce counterfeit ATM cards, removing funds from the victim’s account.

A typical ATM skimming operation 
The Fraudsters selects a major bank with an ATM. After normal business hours, they attach a portable credit card “skimmer” to the card input section of the ATM, but the ATM still functions normally. The skimmer is crafted and painted to blend in with the machine. The fraudsters also place a small wireless surveillance camera somewhere close to the ATM to monitor the ATM keypad.  When the victim’s card is inserted into the machine, the Skimmer captures the card data from the magnetic strip on the card.  When the victim punches in their PIN on the keypad, the wireless camera sends the video to a laptop. The suspect records the video or writes down the PIN numbers. Before the bank opens in the morning, the skimmer and surveillance camera are removed. The next night, the process is duplicated, possibly at a different branch. The data from the skimmer is simply downloaded into a computer. Afterwards, the data from the card is transferred from a computer onto a blank credit card. The PIN for each card is simply handwritten on the card. The suspects use an ATM in another region to empty the victim’s bank account.
 
Tips

•Consider using drive-up ATMs, if they are visible from the street.  If possible, pull close enough to the ATM so a person cannot slide between your window and the ATM.

•After business hours, be suspicious of other persons or vehicles in the lot.  If you feel uneasy, stay in your car until they are gone or use another ATM.

•Watch for persons being near or at an ATM for an abnormal amount of time. ATM skimmers will spend hours at the same ATM, using multiple counterfeit cards, while they empty victim accounts.

•Call 911 and report all suspicious behavior at a bank. Do not be afraid to report suspicious activity to the police. Investigating suspicious activity is an important part of their job and many crooks are caught because of the calls.

•Out of order signs on one of the ATM’s, especially if they are handwritten.  A fraudster may be guiding you to a skimmer.
•Is there paper, or anything else, obscuring the glass over the ATM camera?  You should be able to see the end of the camera lens inside the glass enclosure.
•Look at the card input slot.  Does it look like something has been added or altered?
•Is there something placed near the keypad of the ATM that can hide a small wireless camera?  Credit Unions do not normally clutter the area in front of the ATM screen.

•If you are concerned there may be a skimmer on the ATM, do not use the ATM. Instead, get in your car and leave. Then call 911.  Remember, if it is a skimming operation, there is a crook watching the ATM, who will be protective of the skimming device.

•If you do not already use it, sign up for Internet access to your bank account and credit card accounts.  Online banking is safe.  Check your account online frequently.  This is the key to detecting credit card and check fraud quickly, with minimal damage. 

Modern day identity thieves still use the telephone to steal identities. It is a common form of “phishing,” pretending to be a legitimate business or governmental agency while trying to trick you into revealing your personal information.

· Financial institutions, including Greensboro Municipal, will not make unsolicited calls asking for, or even talking about, your account number, your date of birth or your Social Security number.

· Names, addresses, and phone numbers are easy information to get a hold of both through phone books and the internet. A scammer may call already knowing this information, so don’t let this put you at ease. Always protect your credit card number, account number and other sensitive, personal information. Just being someone calling knows your name, doesn’t mean they are legitimate.

· Common themes of phone phishing scenarios include:
  - the calls are unsolicited.
  - there is a sense of urgency: they claim you need to act immediately or something bad will happen, for instance.
  - the caller controls the conversation and avoids your questions.
  - the caller provides a fake phone number for you to call.
  - they may follow up with convincing documents to try to get you to reveal information.

· Action you can take to avoid becoming a victim:
  - interrupt and hang up the phone.
  - research the problem and/or involved company.
  - do not use the phone number given by the caller – instead use the phone number provided on the back of your credit card, for instance.
 - always protect your social security number, date of birth, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.

Email Fraud - useful tips to protect your information 

Greensboro Municipal does not ask members for personal account information via email. Anyone who receives an email asking for account information should consider it to be a fraudulent attempt to obtain their personal account data for an illegal purpose, and should not follow any instructions in the email.

Your online security is a priority to Greensboro Municipal Credit Union When in doubt about an email; please call us at (336) 433-7286.

1. Regarding emails: DO NOT trust emails urgently requesting personal financial information!  Never give any account information on the web, no bank or any internet commerce will EVER need to ask you for your account information.

2. Be sure not to call any number or use any link in the suspected email as this may put you in the hands of those responsible for the phishing attack.  You could be at risk of downloading spy wares which could compromise personal information on your computer or risk executing scripts that could hijack your search engine and your internet browser.

3. be suspicious of impersonal emails.  Phishing attacks are directed towards millions of people through email spam. The emails sent out during a phish are therefore impersonal and general.

4. NEVER fill out forms in email messages that ask for personal financial information.  Phishing scams or hoaxes ask for information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and social security numbers through an online form.  Financial Institutions have better control over their customers and would never ask for account information. A request for these types of info should ring the alarm.

5. be suspicious of email links. Never trust it! There are ways to "spoof it”!  The link from the email is the key to successful phishing scams. They are intended to send you to the Phishers own internet site where they will try to get you to enter your account information.

6. Always ensure that you're using a secure website when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser.  Check the beginning of the Web address in your browsers address bar, showing "https://" rather than just "http://" would ensure that you are using an encrypted secure website.

7. Regularly log into your online accounts.  Regularly check your bank, credit and debit cards to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. If anything is suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers

8. Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied regularly download the security patches at Microsoft Security home page - "http://www.microsoft.com/security/."

http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/phishing.htm