The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration, but it can also be peak season for cybercriminals and identity thieves. With online shopping, holiday travels, and increased sharing of personal information, the risk of identity theft can rise dramatically this time of year. Follow these tips to help keep your identity safe and, in turn keep your holiday season stress-free.

1. Safeguard Your Personal information

Whether you’re shopping in-store or online or traveling to visit friends and family this holiday season, limit the information that you share. Avoid oversharing and only provide the details necessary for a purchase or transaction. Shred any sensitive documents, since discarded holiday offers, receipts, and financial statements can be goldmines for thieves. Finally, stay vigilant of potential phishing scams. Ignore unsolicited emails or messages asking for personal details for payment information.

2. Strengthen Your Digital Security

Cybercriminals ramp up their activities during the holidays. Keep your accounts secure and help protect your personal information by enhancing the security of your accounts and your devices. You can stay secure by keeping software up to date. Regular updates help patch vulnerabilities in your devices and the applications that you use.

Additionally, when you enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) you can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your account by validating your identity through more than one authentication method. And remember to use strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts.

3. Watch Out for Charity Scams

While the season inspires generosity, it’s also exploited by scammers. Before you donate, take time to verify the charity’s legitimacy. Trusted sites like Charity Navigator and Give.org can help you identify and evaluate charity ratings and donor resources. Avoid donating through email or social media links and go directly to the charity’s official website.

4. Secure Your Mail and Travel Plans

During the holidays, your mail and travel habits can expose you to risks. Hold your mail if you are traveling or ask a trusted neighbor to collect it. Beware of package theft, too. If you are unavailable to bring deliveries inside right away, consider using secure delivery options or pick-up lockers to keep your parcels safe. Additionally, if you’re traveling over the holidays, be mindful about what you share. Advertising your absence or accidentally revealing sensitive data in photos, such as full name and date of birth, could increase your risk of identity theft and fraud.

At Natco, your security is our top priority. By following these tips during the holidays and throughout the year, you can significantly reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. Stay vigilant and proactive in looking after your personal and financial information. As always, if you believe you have become a fraud victim, please review your account history and give us a call or send us a text at 765-962-2561 if you see anything suspicious. For Natco credit and debit cardholders, please contact our fraud department at 888-918-7313.

Stay safe and happy holidays!

Natco Credit Union has provided financial services to members of our community for the past 80 years! We’ve planned a variety of things during our anniversary month as a way to say THANK YOU to our members. We invite you to join the fun.

Tuesday, 10/1 –

• Natco gnome scavenger hunt begins on Facebook (see full details below)
• Clues given for one location each day of the month
• Personal loan promotion begins – as low as 8.0% APR or .80% off qualified rate (available through 10/31)

 

Monday, 10/7 –

• Take advantage of our week-long auto loan offer – Receive $80 for any ‘new to Natco’ auto loan or loan preapproved during the week and closed within 30 days. $5,000 minimum loan. See details and full disclaimer here.
• Radio remote with KICKS 96 at East from 1:00 to 3:00
  • Take advantage of our 80th Anniversary Auto Loan. CLICK for details.
  • Stop by during the remote to receive Natco swag
  • Get entered for a chance to win a Natco raffle basket
  • Submit your name for a chance to be entered into the KICKS 96 Drive-Away 2024 promotion. Full details here.

 

Thursday, 10/10 –

• Anniversary celebration in each Natco office
• Members who stop in any of our three offices will receive an 80th anniversary coffee mug
• Treats in each office

 

 

Natco Gnome Scavenger Hunt

 

After a five-year hiatus, the Natco gnome is returning to help us celebrate our 80th anniversary! He’ll make daily appearances throughout October in one of the seven counties we serve. You can win prizes by figuring out where he is and sharing selfies with him!

 

Follow our Facebook page for daily location clues, posted at 8:30 a.m. throughout October.

Here’s how you can join the fun and earn chances to win:

• Identify his location each day. Complete this form by midnight the same day to earn one entry per day when you correctly identify the location.

• Earn one entry per day when you share the location post on Facebook by midnight of that day.

Earn extra entries….

• Take a selfie at any of the locations the Natco gnome has been at during the month (make sure we can clearly identify the location in the background). Send your photo and name to us through
  Messenger or to natco@natcocu.org. Earn one entry for each photo taken and submitted at a participating location.*

 

• To earn a bonus entry, print the Natco gnome and include him in your selfie in front of the location(s). Send your photo and name to us through Messenger or to natco@natcocu.org. Earn one entry for each selfie taken with the printed Natco gnome at a participating location and submitted by midnight on 10/31. Maximum of 31 entries.*

 

• The Natco gnome will be available in each Natco office throughout October. Snap a selfie with him and send it to us through Messenger or to natco@natcocu.org. Don’t forget to include your name. Limited to one entry during the month.*

At the beginning of November, we’ll hold a raffle for exciting prizes and cash! Join the fun and help us celebrate! Natco employees and volunteers are excluded from this competition.

 

*By sending Natco Credit Union your photo, you agree to allow us to share it on social media and in other marketing.

 

 

We have been informed that one of our members was recently targeted in a phishing attack and was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars between multiple accounts with two local financial institutions. This member received an email from Norton regarding a balance of $442 due for anti-virus software. Rather than clicking the link, she called the phone number included in the email. Using caution before clicking links is always recommended, however, the phone number given in the email was manned by the scammers.

These scam artists convinced her to initially pay $9,000. They continued to communicate with her and scammed her out of an additional $46,500. Because she provided her home address, they showed up at her home address to collect money. Feeling confident she had fallen victim to a scam, she contacted us for assistance. After an event like this occurs, the first step we take is to close the account and open a new one. Local and Federal agencies were immediately notified and are working on the case.

Trust your intuition if something feels wrong or doesn’t add up and be cautious to provide personal information. Please keep an eye out for any signs of a phishing attack.

The FBI estimates more than $34 billion has been lost within the last five years from Internet scams. Most of these crimes are phishing attacks.

Typically, you’ll receive an email that appears to come from a trusted, well-known company. The email will most likely warn you of a serious problem needing immediate attention. It will then encourage you to click a link to visit the company’s website.

In a phishing scam, you might be directed to a fake website that looks exactly like the real thing. You might be asked to update your account information or provide details for verification purposes, such as you social security number, account number, or password.

If you provide any of this information, you might be a victim of identity theft. Here are a few ways to protect yourself:

1. Never provide sensitive information in response to an unsolicited request. This could be over the phone, on the Internet, or via email. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.
2. If you believe the attempt might be legitimate, contact the company yourself. You can find phone numbers and website information online using a trusted search engine.
3. Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited email. A financial institution will never ask you to verify your account information online, but thieves with your account number can use this to log into your account using the password provided.
4.  Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct. If you haven’t received an expected account statement, contact your financial institution to find out why.

If you do become a victim of a phishing attack, contact your financial institution and the police immediately.

Our 2023 Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

Central Christian Church
4511 National Road West, Richmond

Seating available at 5:15 p.m.

Meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

Only members listed first on the account will receive chances to win door prizes. Joint owners are not eligible. Must be present to win. A cookie and a bottle of water will be provided.