Safeguard Your Accounts

ECU wants to help keep your accounts safe, avoid identity theft by helping you take proactive steps to protect your assets, and provide key insights and notices on potential scams and warning signs for potential fraud.

Fraud Prevention

Identity Theft

Lost or Stolen Credit Cards

Annual Credit Report & Credit Bureaus

Fraud and Scam Prevention

Keep ECU Up to Date

Scammers are constantly finding new ways to steal money. Common ways include impersonating your financial institution through phone calls, texts, and emails.

Education Credit Union Will NEVER Ask For:

Login credentials or passwords
Debit or credit card numbers, CVV, or PINs

Common Scam Signs:

Unexpected calls or texts requesting personal info
Urgent messages demanding you “act now”
Poor spelling or grammar in texts
Caller ID showing our number while asking for private, personal, or financial details

If You Receive a Suspicious Call, Text, or Email:

Do not respond or click any links
Hang up immediately if you are asked for personal information
Report it to us at: 806-358-7777
If you are concerned about your account, call us directly using that same number

Be Proactive

When you register for Education Credit Union Online or Mobile Banking, you have anytime, anywhere access to your accounts, so you can:

Monitor your account(s) regularly for unusual transactions. Ensure your contact information is up-to-date so we can contact you directly in the event of suspicious activity.
Set up custom alerts to stay informed about activity on your accounts. You can set up alerts for when your cards are used and transaction alerts for specific dollar amounts, merchant categories, or geographic locations.
Sign up to receive e-Statements to help reduce the risk of identity theft from stolen paper documents.
Manage your Debit and Credit cards using our Mobile Card Controls.

Additional tips to help protect your accounts:

Create strong passwords for a solid defense against hackers. An ideal password should use a combination of special characters, numbers, and capital and lowercase letters.
Always log out of Online and Mobile banking, and do not save your login credentials on any public computer.
Review your credit report annually from the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Visit annualcreditreport.com for a free copy of your credit report. You can request this free copy once every 12 months.
Shred important papers like statements and credit card offers before throwing them away.
Keep your devices (phone, tablet, and computer) up to date with the latest browsers and operating systems.

Keep your information updated:

Due to the increasing amount of identity theft and fraud in our society, we have added an extra layer of security to your account by asking that you please inform Education Credit Union (ECU) immediately if you change your address or phone number(s). All we need is a signature to compare with your signature on file. You can do this by mail, fax, or in person. That way if we encounter any unusual activity or have a problem with your account, ECU personnel can contact you immediately.

If you are not sure if we have the correct information, please feel free to stop by one of our branches and visit our member services department. Any of our representatives will be glad to assist you in this matter.

Identity Theft Protection

Important Safety Tips:

Keep a list of all account numbers in a secure, confidential place in case you experience problems with lost cards or theft of checks.
Notify your financial institution immediately if you suspect your accounts have been compromised or if you have lost any cards or checks.
Store extra boxes of checks in a secure place.
Do not provide any personal information to a third party unless you are confident of the purpose and feel secure that the information will not be misused.
Keep credit cards, ATM cards, debit cards and check books always secure. Do not leave purses or pocketbooks unattended at any time.
Place only minimal, personal information on the top of your checks.
Be sure to carefully review all account statements regularly. Notify your financial institution immediately if there are discrepancies when you balance your accounts.
Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement and to your financial institution.
Do not store or write PIN information on plastic cards or in pocketbooks or purses.
Shred or destroy any documents that contain personal information before putting them in the garbage.
Remove mail from your mailbox promptly.
Consider mailing payments and checks at the post office instead of leaving them in your mailbox for pickup.
Please cooperate fully with merchants or financial institutions that request proper identification. They are doing it to protect your interest.

Hand holding a conceptual security icon holo

Purchase Identity Theft Protection Services

$1,000,000 Expense Reimbursement Insurance: to reimburse you for expenses incurred in fighting identity fraud
Credential Vault: a highly secure online portal in which you can store up to 50 credentials such as credit or debit card numbers, account numbers, serial numbers, etc.
Internet Monitoring: continuous monitoring of black-market sites online where identity data is known to be traded, to detect misuse of your data.
Public Records Monitoring: continuous monitoring of thousands of public record databases to detect misuse of personally identifying information such as name, date of birth, and Social Security number.

Learn more

How to know if your identity has been stolen:

Your credit card bills show unauthorized charges.
You receive calls for payment on credit accounts you do not own.
Your credit rating takes a major dip because of delinquencies on loans or credit cards of which you had no knowledge.
You are denied employment, credit, loans, mortgages, government benefits, utilities and leases because your credit report and background checks show fraudulently incurred debts or wrongful criminal records.

Opt Out of Receiving Pre-approved Credit Card Offers

Opt out of receiving pre-approved credit card offers by calling 888-567-8688. Choose from having your name removed from these lists for two years or permanently. When you order from a catalog, your name will be returned to the list so you will need to call this number again to remove your name from the list.

Giving Account Numbers Over the Internet

It seems we can do just about anything online these days, and purchasing has never been easier. Many companies allow you to authorize payments over the internet if you provide your checking or savings account information. Using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment system, they can then debit your account electronically, eliminating the need for a paper check.

Is it Safe?

Companies performing ACH transactions, are required to follow certain security measures including the use of a minimum 128-bit encryption to ensure that your data is secure. Make sure you are asked to provide a password and/or personal identification number (PIN) before completing these types of transactions. If you are instructed to print a copy of the transaction for your own records, do. Then review your account statement monthly! If you notice anything suspicious or don’t recognize a transaction, notify your financial institution as soon as possible to receive credit for unauthorized activity.

IRS E-Audit

Some taxpayers have received emails from a non-IRS source indicating that the taxpayer is under audit and needs to complete a questionnaire within 48 hours to avoid the assessment of penalties and interest. The email refers to an “e-audit” and references the IRS Form 1040. The taxpayer is asked for Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and other confidential information.

THE IRS DOES NOT CONDUCT E-AUDITS, NOR DOES IT NOTIFY TAXPAYERS OF A PENDING AUDIT VIA EMAIL. THIS EMAIL IS NOT FROM THE IRS.

Should you receive such a request, do not provide the requested information. This may be an identity theft attempt. If you receive an email of this nature, please contact the nearest IRS office.

General precautions:

Carry only necessary information with you. Leave your Social Security card at home. Only take it with you if you will need it. Confirm that it is needed rather than some other common, secure identifier.
Limit paper statements. A paperless environment helps reduce the chance of identity theft. The fewer personal documents sent through the mail, the less chance there is for possible fraud. You can reduce paper statements by signing up for e-statements.
Shred documents containing personal or financial information before discarding. Most fraud and identity theft incidences happen because of mail and garbage theft.
Once a year, order your credit report from all three credit reporting agencies. We suggest your order comes from one agency every four months.

How your information gets stolen:

Stealing a wallet or purse containing your identification, credit cards and debit cards.
Stealing your mail.
Diverting mail to another address by completing a change of address form.
Rummaging through your trash at home or work for personal information.
Posing as a landlord or employer to get personal information.
Accessing your business or personnel records at work.
Finding personal information in your home.
Purchasing personal information from inside sources, such as paying a store employee for information you provided on a credit application.
Using a pocket-sized scanner to get your credit card number when you present it for payment for goods or services.
Fitting a false ATM front on a machine that “swallows” your ATM card.

Lost or Stolen Credit Cards

ECU Fraud Protection Products Contact Information

To report a lost or stolen debit card:

855-651-7812 (After hours/weekends). In addition, call ECU’s member support department during regular business hours at 806-358-7777.

Returning an automated call from our debit card fraud department:

This phone number is only to be used if you are returning a call from our debit card fraud department. You CANNOT call this number to report fraud or a lost or stolen card. 1-800-262-2024

Lost or stolen credit cards:

1-800-442-4757 (After hours/weekends)

In addition, call ECU’s credit card department during regular business hours at 806-358-7777 or 800-687-8144.

Annual Credit Report and Credit Bureaus

Annual Credit Report and Score

Identity theft has been called the crime of the 21st Century. A law in Texas allows the identity theft victim to place a fraud alert on their credit file at no cost.

A fraud alert is a 90-day alert on your credit file that blocks any information from being shared so that potential identity thieves can’t obtain your information. It prohibits by law the credit reporting agency from releasing the consumer’s credit report or any information from it without the express authorization of the consumer. If you think you are a victim of identity theft, you can go to www.annualcreditreport.com to file an alert that will be sent to all three major credit bureaus.

Financial fraud has become one of the biggest concerns facing consumers in recent years. To combat the growing threat, the federal government has created a website (reportfraud.ftc.gov) that is backed by the efforts of a task force comprising various government agencies. From this website, use the Report Now link to report any type of fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Since this joint task force was launched in 2009, over $10 billion dollars in various fraud scheme losses have been uncovered nationwide involving well over 142,000 victims. It’s a great resource — check it out today.

Man typing on laptop with holo red alert icons