Technology has made huge advancements in the last few decades. While these improvements are exciting, they also bring new challenges and security risks. With increased cell phone usage, social media, and online shopping, fraudsters are finding more and more ways to steal our information. And as if that wasn’t enough, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now entered the scene…

Protecting your personal information is critical, especially when it comes to direct links to your money- your debit and credit cards.  Check out these suggestions from our WWFCU Financial Gurus for keeping your cards safe and secure.

Important Steps to Protecting Yourself from Plastic Card Fraud:

• Do not give your card information to anyone else to use.
• Choose secure passwords for any sites that store your card number. Enabling Multi-Factor Authentications (if available) on these websites also helps to protect against fraud.
• Utilize ATM machines found at financial institutions whenever possible, as those are serviced and maintained regularly.
• Use caution when buying goods or services via websites.  Do some investigating to be sure the company is reputable.  The Better Business Bureau and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are great places to start!
• Monitor your account often! This can be done easily using our online banking platform or mobile application. If you see a charge that you do not recognize, notify your financial institution immediately.
• Watch for skimmers on card devices. If it looks suspicious or your card doesn’t insert easily, it is best to avoid using the machine.
• If your card gets lost or stolen, report it right away!
• When making purchases online, be sure to read the fine print carefully!  Some less reputable merchants bury added charges or fees here.
• Use caution when taking advantage of “pay only shipping” deals. These offers usually automatically enroll you with their service which has a monthly charge.
• Make sure your network is secure before entering card numbers online (we don’t recommend using public Wi-Fi for any personal business).

Wayne Westland Federal Credit Union offers both Mastercard Debit cards and Visa Rewards credit cards to approved members. With both card types, you can turn them on or off within our online banking platform. Just look for the Card Management tab. This gives you the power to protect your cards when you aren’t using them.  Lost or stolen cards can also be reported here as well.  Additionally, you can call our office during business hours or toll-free 24/7 at 1-888-241-2510 to report a card lost or stolen.

Having both a credit card and a debit card with us is highly recommended! This way you have a backup in case your debit card is compromised and needs to be blocked, or vice versa. We can now create and issue debit and credit cards right in our branch, so in most cases there is no longer a wait to obtain your replacement card.

Other benefits of our Visa credit cards are Free Identity Theft Protection and credit monitoring, to keep your information and credit safe and secure, as well as 6-months interest free on balance transfers. You can apply for a WWFCU Visa on our website www.wwfcu.org, by visiting our branch, or contacting our call center directly. Our Financial Gurus are here to help you get started and answer any questions you may have about our plastic cards and how to keep them safe and secure!