Fraud Protection Protect yourself from identity theft, online fraud, mail fraud...

You hear it in the media almost daily now –  criminals are finding more and more ways to take advantage of innocent people. As your credit union, we want to help you protect yourself from being the victim of fraudulent activity.

In an effort to help protect our members from fraud and potential identity theft, please be aware that Qualstar (or any other legitimate financial institution) will NEVER request personal or account information via unsecure e-mail.1 

  • What WE Can Do

    We will never ask a third party or credit union affiliated organization to request this type of information from you. It is our goal to keep your information safe!

    Mobile and Home Banking 2 are secure with additional safety and verification measures. As a Mobile and/or Home Banking user, there are a few things built-in to our Online Services to help ensure your account information and access is protected:

    • New enrollment requires a verification PIN sent to the mobile phone number on the account
    • A verification PIN will be prompted when logging-in to a new device, or if cookies have been cleared – you may also be prompted to re-register your device at other times (e.g. updating or installing a new app version)
    • Changing contact information within Mobile2 or Home Banking requires a verification step
    • 2-Factor Authentication can be turned on manually (under Settings>Security), which will prompt a verification PIN with each log-in (Qualstar does not have access to this function; it can only be turned on or off by a user who has log-in access)

  • What YOU Can Do

    Report Automated “Phishing” Calls! Qualstar will never make an automated call to inquire or request information regarding an account or loan that you have with us or any other financial institution. It is not our practice to use an automated system for this purpose, and if you do receive such a call please hang up immediately (do not enter any numbers or say anything) and contact us at 1-800-848-0018 to report the call.

    Go paperless with eStatements! Reducing the amount of personal information you have lying around is a good start – and, if something accidentally makes it into the garbage (instead of shred), your information is out there for anyone to capitalize on. Qualstar offers eStatements for every statement we sent out, and you only need to enroll once! Mobile/Home Banking 2 access is required and you can enroll by choosing the “eStatements” widget – it will show whether or not you are currently subscribed. With eStatements, you’ll have access to all current statements (Account, Visa®, Mortgage, Option Equity & Tax statements) and past statements going back 2 years (from the time of enrollment.)

    Keep Your Online Access Active! Regularly logging in to your account via Mobile and/or Home Banking 2 to check your account balances and confirm only authorized transactions are clearing is the BEST way to catch fraud. For security purposes, as noted in the Online Services Agreement, accounts without one log-in within a 6-month period will be deactivated and require re-enrollment for access – be sure to log-in at least a couple times each month!

    Set-up Text and/or Email Account Notifications! Within Mobile and Home Banking, you have the ability to assign specific alerts (text, push or email) for triggers such as withdrawals over/under a certain amount, Visa credit or debit card transactions by specific amount, checks clearing, an address change, insufficient funds in your account, and even if an invalid log-in has been attempted in Home Banking. To set up eAlerts, simply log-in to Home or Mobile Banking and go to the Alerts widget (alerts are viewable as text, email or push notifications.)

    Balance ID Theft

     

     

     

     

    BALANCE Identity Theft Solutions will help you prevent identity theft – or take the necessary steps to recover if you’ve been victimized. These tools are free to you as a benefit of membership at Qualstar.

Mobile Device Safety Links & Updates

Here are a few resources to help identify potential fraud and prevent yourself from getting scammed:

Couple sitting on the couch with a laptop

“Phishing” Links & Updates

Phishing is an e-mail/internet scam that attempts to trick the victim into providing personal and account information through fake websites or reply e-mails, and is also the fastest growing crime in the United States. The following are several web sites with tips on protecting yourself from phishing scams:

Identity Theft Links & Updates

Following are some web sites with tips on avoiding identity theft:

A woman examines her credit card statements over a cup of coffee

Mail Fraud Links & Updates

Here are more tips and suggestions:

  • Make sure you are well informed and keep your computer up to date with current spam filters and anti-virus software;
  • Avoid using out-of-date software versions that have vulnerabilities easy to exploit. Software companies issue patches and updates, so be sure to use them. Out of date Java software in particular has been a gateway for Trojan infections, say researchers;
  • Run full-system virus scans at least once a week;
  • Use caution when entering user names and passwords and enter these slowly to give time to back out if something doesn’t seem right;
  • Regularly visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center for scam & scheme updates;
  • Have a computer expert remove any malware. Even if you succeed in unfreezing the computer, keyloggers and other malware may still be operating in the background; and
  • Never pay money or provide personal information to a suspicious online entity.

1 For information regarding how to contact us via e-mail, visit our Contact Us page.

2 Carrier data and messaging rates may apply.