Shredding documents containing personal information is an important way to protect yourself from identity theft, but fraudsters are going high-tech. These days, it’s not so easy to detect scams: fake deposed Nigerian princes needing help with offshore accounts are fairly easy to spot. An email that looks like it came from your financial institution or an online retailer you buy from, complete with logo and brand colors, may be trickier.

Here are some tips to stay off the criminals’ radar:

How do I know it’s a scam?

• Be wary. Offers that require you to deposit checks or conduct other financial transactions are particularly suspicious and risky. Anyone asking for personal information should be regarded with extreme caution: financial institutions and reputable retailers will never ask for personal information via an email or chat window.
• Do your research. One recent scam involves a plea for help from a friend or family member overseas. Before you rush to the rescue, double check that the person asking for money really is who they claim to be. This is true of emails from companies as well. Even if they claim that you must click on this link to fix some emergency, don’t do it; go directly to an organization’s website and start from there. Or get the phone number (from the organization’s website, not the email) and call for confirmation.
• If you didn’t initiate, don’t communicate. A good rule of thumb is to ignore any communications that you didn’t initiate. Emails, phone calls, text messages—any of these can be used to gather your personal information and use it without your knowledge or permission. Only communicate when you initiate the conversation and can be certain you’re talking to someone legit.
• Be vigilant. Salal CU members have tools at their disposal to monitor and protect their accounts, so take advantage of them! Online Banking allows you to check your accounts as often as you like, whenever you like, for evidence of fraud. If you notice that a check you wrote hasn’t been cashed in a timely manner, the check may have been intercepted. Or you may see charges you didn’t authorize. In both cases, or when you see any unexpected activity in your account, call Salal immediately. Online Bill Pay protects you as well: no untended mailbox for criminals to target, no paper trail for them to follow. These services are free and used correctly, can help protect you from fraud.

For additional hints and tips on protecting yourself from fraud, check the Identity Theft Resource Center website.

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