Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, address, Social Security number (SSN), bank or credit card account number, or other identifying information without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes.

How Does it Occur?

Identity thieves may use a variety of low- and high-tech methods to gain access to your personally identifying information. For example:

• They get information from businesses by stealing records or hacking into the organization's computers.
• They rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving."
• They steal credit and debit card account numbers as your card is processed by using a special information storage device in a practice known as "skimming."
• They steal wallets and purses containing identification and credit and bank cards.
• They steal mail, including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, or tax information.
• They complete a "change of address form" to divert mail to another location.
• They steal personal information from your home.
• They scam information from you, often through email, by posing as a legitimate business person or government official.

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Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

Although no one is completely immune, you can take action to avoid having your identity stolen. The following are a few suggestions on how to best protect your name and your good credit:

• Carefully guard your personal information and be selective with whom you share it. Personal information includes such things as your name, address, phone number, driver's license number, social security number, credit card numbers, birth date, and mother's maiden name.
• Carry as few credit cards and forms of ID as possible. Typically, there's no reason to carry your social security card in your wallet.
• Keep a list or photocopies of all information you carry in your wallet or purse. Store this information in a secure location.
• Shred documents that contain your personal information and account numbers before you throw them away. This includes unsolicited credit card applications.
• Don't print your driver's license or social security number on your checks.
• Examine your credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies at least once a year.
• Never give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're dealing with.
• Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done in your home.
• Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold. The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.
• Place passwords on your credit card, credit union and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers. When opening new accounts, you may find that many businesses still have a line on their applications for your mother's maiden name. Use a password instead.
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.
• Be wary of promotional scams. Identity thieves may use phony offers to get you to give them your personal information.
• When ordering new checks, pick them up at the Credit Union, rather than having them sent to your home mailbox.

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What to do if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

If you suspect that your personal information has been used to commit fraud or theft, take the following steps right away:

• Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus below and tell them you have been a victim of identity theft. Ask them to place a “fraud alert” in your file, as well as a “victim statement.”
  • Equifax – 1-800-525-6285
  • Experian – 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
  • TransUnion – 1-800-680-7289
• Contact Northwest Resource, any other financial institutions you use, and your creditors to protect your accounts and close them if necessary. You may want to report stolen checks to the following agencies:
  • National Scan Check Fraud Service: 1-843-571-2143
  • SCAN: 800-710-262-7771
  • TeleCheck: 800-710-9898
  • CrossCheck: 707-685-0551
  • Equifax Check Systems: 800-437-5120
  • International Check Services: 800-526-5380
  • ChexSystems: 800-428-9623
  • CheckRite: 800-766-2748
  • Privacy Council: 202-829-3660
• File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Keep a copy of the report because you may need it to validate your claims to creditors.
• File a complaint with the FTC online at the FTC identity theft site or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4388).
• Report stolen mail to your local postal inspector at 503-279-2060.
• Report your incident to the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271.

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Fraud Alerts

Visa / MasterCard FRAUD
 
(9/1/2011) Just a heads up for everyone regarding the latest in Visa fraud. Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in the Midwest right now and moving.

This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.

This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called on Thursday from 'MasterCard'.

The scam works like this:

Person calling says - 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify.. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?'  When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards.  Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'.  

The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card Do you have any other questions?'

After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do', and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we were glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card. We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number.
 
What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation.

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit; however, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of MasterCard' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain, and so on through the above routine.

It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful. 

Wells Fargo Phone Scam

(8/29/11) A recorded call is trying to trick Oregonians into giving up their bank account information. In the phone calls going out lately, the automated message claims the customer's Wells Fargo bank account has been locked for security purposes. Call takers are asked to put in their bank account number and pin numbers.

Please be aware that no legitimate company would ever ask a customer to hand over personal information over the phone. Consumers should never give personal information to a person or internet site requesting account information.

People who suspect they have come across a scam should write down as much information as they can about the scam, including the date, time, place and forward the information to the Attorney General's Office hotline.

Craig's List Ads Targeting Credit Union Members

(1/6/2010) An advertisement on Craig’s List is seeking to recruit current members of credit unions. The ad wants current credit union members to contact the owner of the advertisement and allow ineligible people to join the credit unions through the current member. The owner of the ad is offering up to $500. See a sample of the posting.

This is a scam! Do not ever give (sell) your name and account number to a stranger.

SMiShing Attack

(2/09) Three Oregon credit unions have reported an identical SMiShing* scam in which their members and nonmembers are receiving text messages purportedly from the credit union. The text has the name of the credit unions and indicates it is URGENT and states CALL TOLL FREE 888-767-7682.

The following is some language from the machine after calling the provided 800 number:
“Welcome to general protection department (Female electronic voice). We will be asking you to provide 3 pieces of information. You will use phone keypad for entire process
16 digit number followed by pound key including credit card number and 3 additional digits”

The 800 number has been disabled, but please watch out for this type of fraud.

* SMiShing is a phishing attack sent by Short Message Service (SMS). SMS is a service that allows the transmission of short messages (AKA text messages) between mobile phones and handheld devices.

VISA Phone Scams

Thieves may attempt to trick you into releasing sensitive information via phone. The scammer may speak quickly or attempt to confuse you. It is important to remember that businesses will never request information that they should already have, and that personal information should never be provided by phone or email.

Often phone scammers will pose as a VISA security representative, calling to verify unusual charges. The scammer will request that you provide card information, including the card number, expiration date, and security code for verification.

Our VISA fraud department may call to verify recent purchases but will never ask for any card information as they already have it. If you are concerned that you are not speaking with an actual VISA representative, hang up and call us at 503-220-2592.

Scammers may also pose as VISA representatives soliciting cardholders because they have won a reward or prize. The caller will request card information for verification. VISA and NRFCU do not solicit cardholders.

Fake Check Scams

Fake check scams are clever ploys to steal your money. You can avoid becoming a victim by recognizing how the scam works and understanding your responsibility for the checks that you deposit in your account. Learn more about fake check scams at www.fraud.org.

International Lottery Scams

"Congratulations!
You may receive a certified check for up to $400,000 U.S. CASH!
One Lump sum! Tax free! Your odds to WIN are 1-6."

"Hundreds of U.S. citizens win every week using our secret system!
You can win as much as you want!"

Sound great? It's a fraud.

Scam operators — often based in Canada — are using the telephone and direct mail to entice U.S. consumers to buy chances in high-stakes foreign lotteries from as far away as Australia and Europe. These lottery solicitations violate U.S. law, which prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.

Still, federal law enforcement authorities are intercepting and destroying millions of foreign lottery mailings sent or delivered by the truckload into the U.S. And consumers, lured by prospects of instant wealth, are responding to the solicitations that do get through — to the tune of $120 million a year, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The Federal Trade Commission says most promotions for foreign lotteries are likely to be phony. Many scam operators don't even buy the promised lottery tickets. Others buy some tickets, but keep the "winnings" for themselves. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional charges.

The FTC has these words of caution for consumers who are thinking about responding to a foreign lottery:

• If you play a foreign lottery — through the mail or over the telephone — you're violating federal law.
• There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries. Your chances of winning more than the cost of your tickets are slim to none.
• If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities." Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell.
• Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.

The bottom line, according to the FTC: Ignore all mail and phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, give it to your local postmaster.

To report telemarketing fraud of any kind, contact your state Attorney General.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

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