By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
In the digital age, fraud has been at the forefront of attention for many. Whether it be data breaches, password leaks or the theft of banking information, the fear of fraud is prevalent.
Eastern Utah Community Credit Union’s team is dedicated to protecting members from fraud. Teresa Guymon from EUCCU joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss common types of fraud, how to avoid them and the credit union’s upcoming member appreciation pool party.
“We see a lot of things happening more and more every day,” opened Guymon. “We see a lot of phishing scams. We see a lot of members’ information getting stolen daily. We see identity theft. We see skimming, which is people putting skimmers on gas station pumps. They skim things that are mostly outside.”
Looking at these scams, Guymon shared some tips on how to avoid these forms of fraud,” Being careful with your card and looking at the pumps is very important to make sure you’re keeping your information safe.” She continued,” Be super careful when releasing any of your secure information. Anything that is a personal identifier for you is something that they look for so that they can call and spoof phone numbers. A huge thing that they have started to do is to spoof a number. So, it looks like you’re calling us or that we’re calling you. And so, whenever you get a phone call from us, please make sure that you’re being diligent and actually talking to us. If you ever feel nervous about anything like that, please hang up and call us directly.”
She also added,” Always use two-factor authentication when you can. Use strong passwords. Don’t use links to sites on Facebook or Marketplace or all of those fun sites we love every day. Make sure you’re going to the valid website and not clicking on links or anything like that.”
Guymon then provided information on what to do following receiving one of these scam calls or texts,” First and foremost, call us. Be aware of what you may have released to them so that we can take precautions to protect your information and make sure that we know what they have. We can also change if they had an account number or something like that. We can help make that new account or take care of the situation correctly so that they don’t have any of that current information.”
Switching gears to a less serious topic, Guymon discussed EUCCU’s upcoming member appreciation pool party, which will take place on Thursday, June 26. “It is for members only. It is at the Desert Wave Pool from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. You need a ticket, so if you can stop by any of our branches, we will have tickets available for you. You do need the ticket to get into the pool. There’s food. They’ll have prizes and giveaways. Bring the whole family; we’d love to have you out and see you there.”
In closing, Guymon shared,” Just remember to keep your information safe. Your financial safety is in your hands, and we are your partner in protection. Stay informed and keep your finances secure. You can depend on us to help you keep your financial security safe.”
EUCCU’s annual member appreciation pool party will be held at the Desert Wave Pool on Thursday, June 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on EUCCU, visit euccu.com or follow the credit union on Facebook.
