Security and Member Alerts

ID Theft

Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves

We all take precautions to protect our home and car, locking doors and windows to keep thieves away. But another kind of thief can be even more dangerous. Identity thieves steal other people's information and use it to buy whatever they want. Even if the thief is caught, it can take years to sort out the theft. In the meantime, you may have difficulty obtaining credit.

HOW TO AVOID HAVING YOUR IDENTITY OR PERSONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION STOLEN

Be suspicious of any emails or phone calls with urgent requests for personal information.
NEVER give out financial information such as checking and credit card numbers, or your Social Security number, unless you know the person or organization you're talking to.
Notify your credit union of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information "to verify a statement" or "award a prize".
Don't use the links in an email that you don't recognize to get to any web page and do not reply to the email.
Always ensure that you are using a secure Website when submitting credit card information or other sensitive information via your Web browser.
Report lost or stolen checks immediately. Always review new deliveries of checks to make sure none were stolen in transit.
Closely guard your Personal Identification Numbers for your credit and debit cards and online banking access. Check your monthly statements to verify all transactions.
Notify your credit union, bank, or credit card issuer immediately if you discover any erroneous or suspicious transactions on your statements.

Identity Theft - More Than A Financial Problem

Identity theft is defined as the process of using someone else's personal information for your own personal gain. ID theft can happen to anyone and it can come in all shapes and sizes. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are more than 30 types of identity theft affecting millions of Americans each year. Your credit card digits could be stolen and used to make online purchases; a thief could impersonate you to open up a loan in your name; a felon could commit a crime and pretend to be you when caught; or someone could use your personal information to apply for a job.

As a member at First Trust Credit Union, if you or a family member* suspects any type of identity theft, please contact us immediately. We will provide a certified identity recovery advocate who will place fraud alerts at the three major credit bureaus for you; help you access services to watch for signs of identity theft; and access your credit reports and conduct a threat assessment to determine if any identity theft has occurred.

If you are the victim of identity theft, your advocate will work on your behalf to restore your identity and make sure you stay recovered - no matter how long it takes. For details, please contact us at 800-276-6161 or visit us at any of our branches in Michigan City, La Porte, Valparaiso, Wheatfield or Rensselaer.

*Services extend to all named accountholders, their spouse or domestic partner, dependants up to age 25 with the same permanent residence address as the accountholder, including students, military and parents of the accountholder living at the same address as the accountholder, or living in hospice, assisted living, nursing home, or deceased for 12 months or less.

On Guard Online

OnGuard Online provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology community to help you guard against internet fraud, secure your computers and protect your privacy. On Guard Online Stop.Think.Click.

Safety Tips

REMEMBER To Monitor Your Credit Report Once A Year!

One of the best ways our members can prevent fraud is to monitor their credit report. Members can get copies of their own credit reports once a year completely free at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

CAUTION: www.freecreditreport.com advertises heavily, but is actually a PAY FOR service.

Additionally, Indiana's Credit Freeze Law took effect on September 1, 2007. Residents of Indiana can put a freeze on their credit to prevent identity theft. The member has to make a written request mailed to each credit bureau.

Equifax Security Freeze
PO Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348

Experian Security Freeze
PO Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013

Trans Union Security Freeze
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

The written request must contain the following information:

Full name (and former names if applicable)
Current Address and former address(s) if it has changed in the last 5 years
Social Security Number
Date of Birth
Photocopy of driver's license, state ID card, or other government issued id
Proof of current residence such as a phone bill or utility bill

Within 5 days the credit bureau has to have the freeze on your social security number.

Within 10 days of receiving the freeze request, they will supply you with a PIN number and instructions for temporarily or permanently removing a freeze, in case you need to apply for a loan. The credit freeze service is completely free also.

There are government resources and materials to inform the public about identity theft, as well as resources for people who find they are the victim of identity theft at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

If you have questions, or need additional information, please feel free to contact your financial partners at First Trust Credit Union during regular business hours at 800-276-6161.

Personal Internet Branch

Personal Internat Branch At First Trust we take security very seriously, employing state of the art measures on multiple levels to protect members who use our electronic services. We now offer an entire set of tools that you control, making yourself even more secure.

PIB, or Personal Internet Branch, is available to all members using our It's Me 247 Online Banking. The best thing about PIB is that you turn on the features you want, and off the ones you don't. You have the ability to lock down your account as you see fit.

New features you can utilize and control include:

Create a username for logging in, instead of your account number
Set days of the week and times of the day that your account is accessible or inaccessible
Control the features available, like funds transfers, check requests, loan application, opening new account, viewing cancelled checks, on-line bill pay, and more
Set maximum dollar amounts of funds transfers allowed
Set a second password for funds transfers

PIB also comes with Geographic Controls. These allow you to make your account accessible only within the US, only within your state, only within your city, or even only accessible by your own home PC. (This feature is built using IP Lookup and DNS information, and may not work properly for all members, especially those using dial up Internet connections or those accessing their accounts from work or schools)

So look for the new button "Manage My Security" when you log into It's Me 247 Online Banking.

The IN's and OUT's of STRONG Passwords

If you use a computer for anything, you know about passwords. Annoying at best and often frustrating, passwords have become part of our everyday life. The more you do, the more passwords you get.

Passwords serve a very important function. They are the first line of defense for the things we do. But a password is only good and only does its job if it is strong. The best way to define a strong password is to define a weak password. If any of these characteristics apply to your password(s), it is weak:

Less than eight characters
Is a word found in a dictionary (English or foreign)
Common usage words like names of family, pets, friends, co-workers, celebrities, fictional characters, computer terms, web site names, companies, birthdays, phone numbers, etc.
A pattern of words or numbers like aaabbb, qwerty, zyxwvuts, 123321
Any of the above spelled backwards
Any of the above preceded or followed by a number (ex secret1 or 1secret)

So what makes a password strong? It should have the following characteristics:

Contain both upper and lower case characters (a-z, A-Z)
Have digits and punctuation characters also (0-9, !, @, $, %, &, etc)
Not any word in any language, slang, or jargon
Not based on any personal information

So how do you make a password strong and still be able to remember it? One way is to base it on a song title, book title, or phrase. For example from the phrase "This May Be One Way to Remember" the password "TmB1w2R!" or "tMb1W>r~" could be made. The phrase "Jack and Jill went up the hill" could be the password j&JwuTh!

With so many passwords to remember, you may be tempted to write them down, or use the same password for everything, or avoid changing your password. Passwords should be changed at least every 90 days. And you should never:

Write down your password
Reveal a password over the phone to anyone
Reveal a password in an email message
Talk about your password in front of others
Hint at the format you make your passwords to others
Reveal passwords on security forms, questionnaires, or web sites
Share passwords with family or co-workers
Store your passwords in an unencrypted electronic format.

If you can't remember your passwords store them in a strongly encrypted database. There are applications for PCs as well as mobile phones that will let you store your list of usernames and passwords using strong encryptions. But remember to use a strong password on those as well.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Learn more about how Consumer Financial Protection Bureau helps to educate consumeers, enforce financial laws and study consumer financial markets to help protect you.

Visit Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Member Alerts

Last Updated: February 13th 2012

Craig's List Member Alert

Fraudulent First Trust cashier checks are being circulated throughout the nation through many different avenues. The most common story being told is, "I was hired to work at home by someone on Craig's List." The second most popular is, "I sold something on Craig's List." Recently a fraudulent check was sent to a person who applied for a loan on line. The common theme seems to be Craig's list, or I did something on line. The checks are sent UPS to avoid using the U.S. mail system and are being sent anywhere from Canada to Florida.

If you receive a check and are asked to cash or deposit the check and return a portion of the money to the remitter, or forward funds to someone else such as a shipper or transporter, BEWARE. This is more than likely a fraudulent check. Never accept a cashier's check and send merchandise without the check first clearing and never accept a cashier's check and return funds to the remitter.

First Trust is always happy to verify the validity of our cashier checks and anyone believing they may be in receipt of a fraudulent check is encouraged to call our office for verification during regular business hours at 800-276-6161.

Effective Immediately: Debit Cards Usage Blocked in California

Due to the high risk of counterfeit card fraud, all First Trust Credit Union debit cards are permanently blocked from use in California. This block is for "Card Present" transactions only. Please notify the credit union if you will be traveling to California, so that this restriction may be temporarily removed from your debit card. First Trust Credit Union apologizes for any inconvenience.

WARNING: Fraudulent Text Messages

We have had some members report they received text messages telling them there is a problem with their debit card. The message directs the member to a website or phone number to resolve the problem. These messages did not come from First Trust. They are a fraudulent attempt to acquire debit card information. Please report suspicious activity or suspected fraud to security@firsttrustcu.com