What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft (ID theft) occurs when someone uses your personal information to commit fraud or other crimes. It may also involve computer fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and financial institution fraud.

How do I prevent Identity Theft?

The first step in combating ID theft is educating yourself and your family to help you avoid becoming a victim. SACU can provide access to information that you can use regardless of how much you know about ID theft or what your needs are.

BALANCE, the financial fitness Web site to which SACU provides access for all members, offers a complete information guide called Identity Theft Solutions that you can download in a PDF format and print from your computer. You also can follow the links below to learn about a specific topic. If you find that you are a victim of ID theft we can provide information to help you recover.

Click on the links below if you want to:

• Educate yourself about the issues in general concerning ID theft.
• Perform a risk assessment to see whether you are doing all you can do to protect yourself.
• Learn Ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim of ID theft.
• Know the consumer rights that you have including protections under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and FACT Act.
• Know what to do if you think you're a victim of ID theft.
• Get organized and keep track of what you do to help yourself.
• Contact the three credit bureaus and other agencies that combat fraud.
• Obtain a copy of your credit reports FREE every year. Annualcreditreport.com is the official site to help consumers obtain a copy of their credit reports. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call Toll Free 1-877-322-8228 (hearing impaired TDD service is 1-877-730-4104). [ See related article on the SACU.com Web site.]

• Tip: You are entitled to receive one free copy from each of the three major credit bureaus each year. Create your own credit monitoring file by setting up a schedule to get one credit report every 4 months. E.g.: Each year order your FREE report from Equifax in January, from Trans Union Corporation in May, and from Experian in September to be sure everything on your report is correct.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a type of e-mail fraud in which ID thieves pose as legitimate companies or government agencies to request personal information via an e-mail. If you receive an e-mail with a link for you to enter your account numbers, Social Security number or other confidential information, DO NOT CLICK on the link. To check into an offer or a possible problem, go directly to the company's Web site through your browser (so that you type in their address yourself), or call the company by telephone.

NCUA Fraud Alert