Bolster your account security
MSUFCU offers advice to keep finances safe
EAST LANSING, MI (July 15, 2019) — We’d all like to think that credit card fraud and identity theft will never happen to us, and hopefully it never does. As with anything, it’s always best to be prepared and know how to take immediate action if we ever do experience fraud and identity theft.
Preparing for these possible unfortunate situations is especially important because lost or stolen cards and hacked online accounts can result in things as small as a temporary inconvenience to something as big as monetary losses, identity theft can occur when personal information is obtained and identify theft can also impact your credit report and ability to receive loans for years to come. Deidre Davis, chief marketing officer for Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, offered her advice to residents.
What can I do to keep my account safe?
Davis: Although using common sense when protecting account information may be very helpful, there are still a number of other ways we can secure our accounts and prevent problems down the road.
Examples Davis provided included:
- Shred unneeded documents with personal and account information
- Report lost or stolen cards as soon as possible
- Know the signs of scams and stay up-to-date on recent scams
For example, your financial institution will never ask you to disclose your personal information over text message or email
- Keep passwords/PINs private and inaccessible to others
- Use different passwords for different accounts
- Check accounts regularly to monitor activities
- Avoid leaving mail in your mailbox for extended periods of time
- Install anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection software on your computer
- Don’t open attachments if you don’t know what they are
What does MSUFCU do to keep my accounts safe?
Davis: MSUFCU offers a number of security measures and services that are designated to keep member information and accounts safe. Our TrulyU security system adds an additional layer of protection to your account information and helps prevent unauthorized access to your account. It asks security questions that are set by and unique to you. These types of questions are difficult for others to guess
We have a robust Visa Fraud Alert Management detection system that monitors transactions for possible fraud and protects cards and accounts when fraud is detected.Our members now have the ability to lock and unlock their Visa credit and debit cards right from their mobile devices.
Let’s say you forget your debit card at a restaurant. You can log into your account through our mobile app and lock your card to prevent any purchases from being made. Once the card is back in your hands and you are certain the information was not compromised, you can easily unlock your card from the mobile app and use it normally.
In addition, we have unique usernames for all members to log into their accounts. Unique usernames add an extra layer of security as it is specific to you and your account.
About Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU)
Founded in 1937, MSUFCU has a national reputation for excellence and has received several top industry and workplace awards, including being named a Best Credit Union to Work For® by American Banker for the sixth year, a Top Workplace by the Detroit Free Press for 13 consecutive years, and a National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® winner for seven consecutive years. MSUFCU has also been certified as a Great Place to Work® for 10 consecutive years and has been recognized by the Credit Union National Association, earning first place for the people-helping-people philosophy Louise Herring Award. The Credit Union operates an award-winning, wholly owned credit union service organization, Reseda Group; along with digital financial platforms AlumniFi and Collegiate; trade name Oakland University Credit Union; and its foundation, the Desk Drawer Fund. MSUFCU is headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan; and has 24 branches; over 350,000 members; $7.61 billion in assets; and more than 1,100 employees. For more information, visit msufcu.org.
