One of the ways we keep your account secure is via our Card Fraud Center. The primary tool they use to protect you is temporarily blocking your card when suspicious transactions occur. If this happens, we will immediately begin trying to contact you to verify the activity. Here is how the process works:

When suspicious transactions are detected, you will first receive a phone call from the Card Fraud Center listing a few of your most recent transactions and asking if the transactions were made by you or not.

• Number you will see on your Caller ID if called by the automated Fraud Protection Line: 877-253-8964 or 833-735-1894
• Number you will see on your Caller ID if called by a Fraud Protection Call Center Agent: 800-279-2674
• Toll Free callback number if you are in the US: 800-262-2024
• Collect callback number if you are outside the US: 973-682-2652

If the Fraud Center is unable to reach you then a representative from Liberty First Credit Union will attempt to reach you by phone. If we are unsuccessful we will send an email to the address we have on file asking you to call us. We will not ask you to verify any information via email.

At any point in this process, you can respond and let us know whether the transactions were authorized by you. If the transactions are valid, your card will work immediately after you respond, and no further action is required. If the transactions are fraudulent, your card will remain blocked, and you should receive a call from a Fraud Analyst shortly after you respond to review your case and advise you on what to do next.

Because your card will remain blocked until we receive a response, it’s crucial to keep your contact information up to date. Please contact us to update your address and contact information.

A few important things to know to avoid compromising your personal information:

• A text alert from us warning of suspicious activity on your card will NEVER include a link to be clicked. Never click on a link in a text message that is supposedly from us. A valid notification will provide information about the suspect transaction and ask the cardholder to reply to the text message with answers such as ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘help’, or ‘stop’. It will never include a link.
• A text alert from us will always be from a 5-digit number and NOT a 10-digit number resembling a phone number. Text caller IDs will be 20733 if you use the standard call center, or 37268 if you use the premium call center (please refer to FYI 17504).
• A phone call from our institution’s automated dialer will only include a request for your zip code, and no other personal information, unless you confirm that a transaction is fraudulent. Only then will you be transferred to an agent who will ask questions to confirm that you are the actual cardholder before going through your transactions with you. If at any point you are uncertain about questions being asked or the call itself, hang up and call us directly. If a call is received by the cardholder, claiming to be our call center and asking to verify transactions, no information should have to be provided by the cardholder other than their zip code, and a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the transaction provided.
• We will NEVER ask you for your PIN or the 3-digit security code on the back of your card. Don’t give them out to anyone, no matter what they say. Hang up and call us directly. Fraudsters will often ask cardholders to verify fake transactions. When the cardholder says no, they did not perform those transactions, the fraudster then says that their card will be blocked, a new card will be issued, and that they need the card’s PIN to put it on the new card. Many people believe this and provide their PIN. The 3-digit CV2 code on the back of the card will allow a fraudster to conduct card-not-present transactions.
• Regularly check your account online to see if there are any suspicious transactions that have occurred, but especially If you are unsure about a call or text message you’ve received. If anything looks amiss, call us directly for assistance.
• If you have received a voice  or a text-message from us and are unsure about responding to it, call us directly for assistance.

What is a compromised card?

A compromised card is a card that is at risk of being used fraudulently. Cards can be compromised in many ways, but some common compromise points include merchant breaches, phishing scams, skimmers, and malware.

How does Liberty First Credit Union react to compromise notifications?

Liberty First takes every compromise seriously and affected customers will receive notification if their card information has been potentially compromised. Notifications will be in the form of a mailed letter. The notification will provide information on the compromise and information on replacement card(s).

Does this mean that I have fraud on my account?

No. It only means that your card information has potentially been compromised.

What do I need to do if I discover fraud on my account?

If you ever detect fraud on your account, contact us immediately at (402) 465‐1000.

Can this information be used to steal my identity?

The information encoded on the compromised card pertains strictly to the card, potentially including the card number and expiration date. Confidential information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, addresses and dates of birth are not stored on the card.

Here’s how they work:

You get a call or an email. I might say you’ve won a prize. It might seem to come from a government official. Maybe it seems to be from someone you know – your grandchild, a relative or friend. Or maybe it’s from someone you feel like you know, but you haven’t met in person – say, a person you met online who you’ve been writing to.

Whatever the story, the request is the same: wire money to pay taxes or fees, or to help someone you care about.

But is the person you think it is? Is there an emergency or a prize? Judging by the complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the answer is no. The person calling you is pretending to be someone else.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Stop. Check it out – before you wire money to anyone. Call the person, the government agency, or someone else you trust. Get the real story. Then decide what to do. No government agency will ever ask you to wire money.
2. Pass this information on to a friend. You may not have gotten one of these call or emails, but the chances are you know someone that has.

Please report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
• Call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Go online: ftc.gov/complaint

Your report can help protect other people. By reporting fraud, you can help the FTC’s investigators identify the imposters and stop them before they can get someone’s hard-earned money. It really makes a difference.

Here’s how they work:

You meet someone special on a dating website.  Soon he or she wants to move off the dating site to email or phone calls.  They tell you they love you, buy they live far away – maybe for business, or because they are in the military.

Then they ask for money.  They might say it’s for a plane ticket to visit you.  Or emergency surgery.  Or something else urgent.

Scammers, both male and female, make fake dating profiles, sometimes using photos of other people – even stolen pictures of real military personnel.  They build relationships – some even fake wedding plans – before they disappear with your money.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Stop. Don’t send money. Never wire money, put money on a prepaid debit card, or send cash to an online love interest.  You won’t get it back.
2. Pass this information on to a friend.  You may not have gotten one of these calls, but chances are you know someone who will get one – if they haven’t already.

Please report Scams

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

• Call the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or TTY 1-866-653-4261
• Go online: ftc.gov/complaint

Your report can help protect other people.  By reporting fraud, you can help the FTC’s investigators identify the imposters and stop them before they can get someone’s hard-earned money.  It really makes a difference.

Learn how to spot common wire transfer scams with this safety tips.

Wire transfers are a fast, easy way to send money to individuals and businesses. However, because wire transfers are an immediate form of payment and typically irreversible, they are also frequently used in fraud schemes. According to the Federal Trade Commission, roughly $314 million was lost to wire transfer fraud in 2020.

To help protect yourself from wire transfer fraud, here’s what to look for:

Scam #1: Real estate wire scams

Buying or refinancing a home? Be on the lookout for phishing emails with fraudulent wiring instructions for closing costs.

How the scam works

These scams target members in the process of closing on a home purchase or refinance. Scammers are often successful because they gain access to legitimate email accounts in order to impersonate realtors, escrow officers, attorneys, or lenders.

With the closing details, scammers can craft an email that looks very authentic, down to the email address, signature and company logo. This phishing email provides false wiring instructions, directing the money to be transferred to a different account that is controlled by the scammer.

These emails often include an urgent request to send the money immediately or the deal will fall through or the closing date will be postponed. The email may even appear to carbon copy (CC) others involved in the transaction; however, at closer inspection, those email addresses are altered.

How to help protect yourself

1. Don’t be rushed: Know what to expect as part of the closing process. Although closing dates may change, there is typically not a last-minute requirement that you send the money to avoid a change in date or risk losing the property.
2. Confirm the intended recipient: Be highly suspicious of any communication stating your wiring instructions have changed. Before wiring funds, confirm instructions with your mortgage consultant or title representative by calling a phone number you trust. Do not call a new number or respond to an email with new instructions.

How to take action if this happens to you

1. If you wired money through your Credit Union, request a wire recall immediately. Because wire transfers are typically irreversible, you may not be able to get your money back.
2. If you used a money transfer service, call the company’s complaint line right away.

Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center as soon as possible and provide all of the incident details. If your Credit Union asks for a police report, give them a copy of your report to the FBI.

Scam #2: Tech support scams

Tech support scams happen when someone contacts you claiming to be from a well-known technology company and requests remote access to your computer. Sometimes the caller says they have identified a problem and offers to fix your computer for a fee. Other times, the scammer offers a “refund” for a discontinued service or an accidental overcharge.

How the scam works

In these scams you would receive an unexpected call or pop-up message on your computer warning of an issue, such as a virus or other malware. The caller or pop-up claims to be from tech support and asks for access to your computer to fix the issue or offer you a refund. Typically, the scammer will ask you to type a specific command to enable this access. Once they have control of your computer, they may require payment for technical assistance, install malicious software, change settings to leave your computer vulnerable, or ask you to log on to your Credit Union account to steal your financial information.

If you give them access to your online banking, they will make it appear as if they’re sending you a refund, but they’re actually transferring money from your own accounts. Often, the refund is for much more than promised (e.g., $40,000 instead of $400), so the scammer makes a plea for you to send the extra money back so they don’t lose their job. They may ask you to wire money to a foreign country, purchase gift cards, or mail cash.

To help avoid this scam

1. Never give control of your computer to anyone who contacts you. If you receive a call about a computer problem, hang up. If you suspect something is wrong with your computer or believe the scammer obtained access to it, bring it to a reputable company for a malware check.
2. If you get an unexpected or urgent call from someone who claims to be tech support, hang up. It’s not a real call. Don’t rely on caller ID. Scammers can spoof the name of a company to make the call seem legitimate.
3. Don’t trust phone numbers provided to you in an email, voicemail, or pop-up ad. If you want to call the company, use the customer service number on their official website. Note: Scammers sometimes purchase ads and create fake customer service websites that will show up on search results.
4. If you are asked to wire money from a recent deposit or overpayment, discuss the situation with a banker or trusted friend or family member. Be truthful about the situation, since many scammers direct you to lie about why you’re sending the money.
5. Review your account activity to spot signs of fraud, such as an online transfer from your own savings, credit card, or home equity line of credit. If you’re unsure of the descriptions used for a transaction, ask a banker to help since many scammers will add a memo to make the transfer appear legitimate.

If you’re concerned about your computer, call your security software company directly using the number on the company’s website.

Scam #3: Online shopping scams

Online shopping scams can be difficult to spot because scammers often create realistic websites and social media ads with great deals, fake assurances, and bogus warranties for their products. Typically, the scammer requests payment through a mobile payment app or wire transfer because they are usually irreversible. If you wire money to the scammer, you’ll never receive the product and likely not get your money back.

To help avoid this scam

1. Know that anyone can set up a realistic website and social media ad. Scammers will sometimes purchase ads to direct you to their website, so research the seller or product before you buy.
2. Watch out for deals that are too good to be true. A deep discount could be the sign of a scammer trying to lure you in, only to tack on additional fees once you make the first payment.
3. Don’t pay for online products with a wire transfer or mobile payment app. Use a credit card, when you can.

More wire transfer scams:

1. Foreign business or investment scam: You’re approached with an offer to fund a lucrative investment or business opportunity, usually in another country. You’re directed to act quickly and keep the deal a secret, especially if questioned by your Credit Union when sending the wire.
2. Family emergency or grandparent scam: You receive an urgent call or email from someone claiming to be a friend or family member who needs money for an emergency. To appear legitimate, they may provide details (pulled from social media) about your friend or relative in need.
3. Romance scam: You meet someone, typically through an online app or social media site, and begin a relationship. Your online interest starts professing their love for you and then begins to ask for money to help with costs such as medical bills or travel expenses to visit you.

If you’re a victim of a wire transfer scam, report it to your Credit Union immediately to attempt to recall the wire. You can also report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov

For more information on Wire Transfer Scams visit “Before You Wire Money” from the Federal Trade Commission — https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/before-you-wire-money

As fraud controls get smarter, fraudsters are shifting their attack patterns to bypass controls. Fraudsters have been using automated phone calls to try to steal your two-factor authentication codes.

An example of these calls state: “In order to secure your account, please enter the code we have sent your mobile device now.” Financial institutions and valid merchants will ask cardholders to enter this code on their website or app, not via text or automated phone call. A communication like this indicates the fraudster has tried to access an account and has run into a two-factor challenge from the merchant or institution.

Usually something like the enter code that had has popped up on your phone. Once entered the automated message will say: “Thank you, your account has been secured and this request has been blocked.” Sometimes the call will say don’t worry about any payments or fees, we will refund it and then state, “you may now hang up.”

Phishing and smishing (phishing by SMS texts) are attempts to trick you into providing sensitive confidential information in order to perpetrate fraud. As these schemes evolve, phishing emails are mimicking websites and appearing to be legitimate and credible instead of using only suspicious links in poorly designed emails.

It is important to keep your financial data and online banking credentials private and avoid clicking on links that appear in random emails and instant messages.

Be on the alert when you come across emails that start with “Dear Customer. When in doubt, go directly to the source rather than clicking on a potentially dangerous link.

In general, you should never give out full card numbers, passwords (either to bank or merchant accounts), full social security numbers, or other sensitive information over the phone.

Use A Different Password For Every Website You Visit. Using the same password for more than one website or service may seem to make things easier, but consider what happens if a hacker gets your password from a site that you use. Soon the attacker will have access to all of your sites. If remembering all of those different passwords is a problem, consider using a password manager as mentioned below, or a technique known as Password Haystacks.

Create unique passwords. Don’t use your date of birth, social security number, or recognizable words. Try to use one with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols and make the password as meaningless as you can remember. The more original you are the better. According to password management company SplashData, the top three passwords of the year are “123456,” “password” and “12345678”, please avoid these ones.

Try a password manager. Applications such as LastPass, Dashlane, and Norton Identity Safe, allow you to store your passwords in one place, and secure them using just one, really good password. They also have great utilities for helping you generate truly secure passwords, as well as test the passwords that you’re using.

Set up two-step or two-factor authentication. Two-step authentication asks you to sign in with your password, and then add a second sign-in – a numeric code sent by text, e-mail, or a phone call. That way, even if your password is stolen, the attacker cannot access your account without your phone or email account, too. Many services such as Google and Facebook offer two-factor authentication.

Liberty First wants to make sure you have all the protection you need when it comes to your personal information. We are proud to offer our “Protect” checking account add-on for our members.

• 24/7 credit monitoring
• Annual credit reports
• Monthly credit score and tracker
• Dark web monitoring
• Lost wallet protection
• Identity restoration

The monthly fee of $6 for Kasasa account holders, $10 for all other checking account holders, is automatically deducted from your checking account, so no additional checks to cut, lapses in coverage, or due dates to remember.
Call us to add this feature to your checking account today or click here to learn more

If you suspect your personal or financial information has been compromised, take the following steps immediately:

1. Contact Liberty First Credit Union at (402) 465-1000
2. Place a fraud alert on your credit report with one of the three major credit bureaus. Also request to review your credit report for suspicious activity. A copy of your credit report is available free each year from
   • www.annualcreditreport.com
   • Equifax®: 1-888-766-0008
   • Experian®: 1-888-397-3742
   • TransUnion®: 1-800-680-7289
3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
4. File a report with the local police.

• Call, email or text you asking for your Online Access password, account numbers, or debit card numbers. If you receive such a call, email or text message, do NOT give out any information.
• Send an email to you containing computer software updates.

Important: If you receive a phone call, email, text message or visit to your place of business that you question, please contact us before taking any other action.

Vacations are for relaxing, not worrying about lost or stolen debit and credit cards. Carrying a prepaid TravelMoney® Card is safer and is accepted worldwide. Plus, there is a free CUMoney® mobile app which allows you to manage your card from anywhere in the world!

• Works anywhere VISA is accepted, including ATMs.
• The card is reloadable and can be done at any Liberty First branch, at www.cumoney.com or on the CUMoney mobile App. You will need Liberty First’s Routing Number (304982468).
• Free Travel and Emergency Assistance Services.
• The minimum value for a TravelMoney® card is $100.00. The maximum value is $5,000.00.
• The fee for a TravelMoney® card when first picked up at Liberty First is $6.00.
• The fee to reload a TravelMoney® card is $3.00 per load.

Visit with a Liberty First team member or call 1-833-729-2853 for more information.

Additional service fees may apply. Please refer to the CUMoney® Visa TravelMoney® Card Cardholder Agreement before purchase.

With the holidays closing in, it’s a good time to review some travel security tips:

• Never leave your device unattended, not even for a few minutes, even in secure areas of the airport.  Criminals have been known to operate in these areas, knowing that we feel more secure beyond the security checkpoint.
• Password protect your devices, all of them.  Use facial or fingerprint biometrics or passwords to prevent access to your device if it is lost or stolen.
• Consider using an app that will allow you to locate your device if misplaced.  Many apps will allow you to track it if stolen and remotely disable or wipe data from its drive.
• Do NOT us public USB charging ports.  These can also be manipulated by the bad guys to install malware or gain access.  If you need to charge in a public setting, use your own charging block and USB cord and then plug into an electrical outlet.  Better yet, carry a battery backup charger when traveling.
• Lastly, in all the hustle and bustle of the season, do not fall victim to a phishing scam.   This is the time of year that phishing kicks into overdrive.  With all our online shopping and package shipments arriving regularly, it’s easy to fall for an email claiming that a shipment has been delayed.  Don’t ever respond to a delayed shipping email.  Go directly to the website you purchased from or check directly with the shipper by using the tracking number suplied with your original order.  Do NOT use any of the information in the email alleging the delay.

TRAVEL SAFE!