Security Center

Be vigilant against scammers who are taking advantage of fears surrounding COVID-19. A few simple precautions you can take both at work and at home include:

• Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments
• Use trusted sources—such as legitimate, government websites for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19
• Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations
• Do not reveal personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email solicitations for this information. To stay abreast of scams, visit the FTC’s website for more information, particularly this recent article on COVID-19 related scams.

Fraudulent SSA Calls - July 19, 2019 
Possible Skimming activity at Blackwell Road location - Dec 20, 2017
Equifax Data Breach - September 7, 2017
Phishing Email - March 1, 2017
Debit and Credit Card Skimming - December 22, 2016
Phishing Email - August 11, 2015
Vishing Phone Calls - August 7, 2015
Phishing Email - August 7, 2015
Phishing Email - July 31, 2015
Phishing Email - July 9, 2015
Phishing Email - June 18, 2015
Telephone Phishing - August 16, 2012
Telephone Phishing - July 12, 2012
Fraudulent ACH Emails -  November 2, 2011
Domestic Wire Scam - March 17, 2011
Telephone Phishing - November 8, 2010

Credit and Debit card fraud is a form of identity theft that involves an unauthorized taking of another’s credit or debit card information for the purpose of charging purchases to or removing funds from the account.

Card fraud occurs through a variety of channels, including online scams, data breaches, and card or mail theft. Know how to defend yourself and feel confident that UVA Community Credit Union is continually monitoring for threats and suspicious activity.

Here are a few ways you can protect yourself:

Be careful with your card information

• Incorporating a few practices into your daily routine can help keep your cards and account numbers safe.
• Keep a record of your account numbers, their expiration dates and the phone number to report fraud for each company in a secure place.
• Don’t lend your card to anyone, even your kids or roommates
• Don’t leave your cards, receipts, or statements around your home or office. When you no longer need them, shred them before throwing away.

Use your card wisely

• Don’t give your account number to anyone on the phone unless you’ve made the call to a company you know to be reputable. If you’ve never done business with them before, do an online search first for reviews or complaints.
• Carry your cards separately from your wallet. It can minimize your losses if someone steals your wallet or purse. And carry only the card you need for that outing.
• During a transaction, keep your eye on your card. Make sure you get it back before you walk away.
• Never sign a blank receipt. Draw a line through any blank spaces above the total.
• Save your receipts to compare with your statement.
• Open your bills promptly — or check them online often — and reconcile them with the purchases you’ve made.
• Report any questionable charges to the card issuer.
• Notify your card issuer if your address changes or if you will be traveling.
• Don’t write your account number on the outside of an envelope
• Look for irregularities with an ATM before using it, especially with the card slot.
• Be cautious when using your cards online. Only enter information on websites where you are 100% certain they are legitimate.

What to do in case of fraud:

If your card is lost or stolen, or you suspect you’re a victim of fraud or identity theft, contact your financial institution immediately.

For a UVA Community Credit Union Visa^® debit card:
Call 434-964-2001 during regular business hours. After hours, call 800-991-4965.

For a UVA Community Credit Union Visa credit card:
Call 866-595-6757 24-hours a day.

Acting quickly is important if you have lost your account information or suspect it has been stolen.

For a lost or stolen UVA Community Credit Union check, checkbook or account information:

Call our Member Services at 434-964-2001 during business hours. Change your Online Banking password immediately.

For a UVA Community Credit Union Visa debit card:

Call 434-964-2001 during regular business hours. After hours, call 800-991-4965.

For a UVA Community Credit Union Visa credit card:

Call 866-595-6757 24-hours a day.

Identity theft is a growing concern

• Identity theft is a crime where an impostor uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. Personal information can range from social security number, driver's license number, birth date, mother's maiden name, or other identifying information.

Thieves can obtain your personal information in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

• removing mail from your mailbox
• going through your trash for copies of credit card offers or bank statements (known as dumpster diving)
• lost or stolen wallet
• security breaches at companies that have access to your personal data
• online phishing, smishing, or pharming techniques. Phishing is a method of identity theft carried out by tricking a person into clicking a link in an email, where they are taken to a website that looks genuine. The victim thinks they are entering personal information for a legitimate purpose, but the criminals then use the personal information for their own purposes. To prevent phishing avoid clicking on a link in an email, instead enter the site's URL directly into their address bar. Smishing is similar to phishing but uses cell phone text messages to trick the recipient into divulging account or personal information. Pharming is when criminal hackers redirect Internet traffic from one website to a different, identical-looking site, once again, in order to trick you into entering your personal information into their fake site
• pretending to be someone else in order to obtain your information over the phone, also known as pretexting
• installation of malware, spyware or viruses on your computer to send personal information

There are several things you can do to minimize your risk of identity theft. Limit the amount of mail with personal information by signing up for online E-statements, or consider replacing your current mailbox with one that has a locking mechanism. Always shred any credit card offers, or other paper that contains any personal information before you throw it away. Use Financial Tools to regularly review balances and transactions on all of your accounts or credit cards, even non-credit union accounts. Set Central Finance  automated alerts to notify you of large transactions or account balances reaching specified limits.

Safe-guarding your computer and passwords are essential. Use best practices for online activity, such as don't choose "Remember Password" or allow a Web site to keep sensitive information for future convenience; use strong passwords with letters, numbers and symbols; be selective about where you surf and only use secure Web pages for online transactions (indicated by https or the locked padlock icon); keep your computer safe by using firewalls and keeping security patches and protection software up-to-date; and regularly scan your compute for viruses, malware and spyware.

Check your credit reports once a year, and notify the credit agency if you find a discrepancy. By law you are entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. You can get access to all three agencies through www.annualcreditreport.com.

The best offense is knowledge. "Identity Theft: Whose Got Your Number" is one of the free educational seminars offered by the credit union. Check our schedule.

Here are some steps to take if you have been a victim of Identity Theft.

Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review the copies sent to you. Once you contact a consumer reporting company, they are required to contact the other two.

Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Follow up in writing.
Visit IdentityTheft.gov to report the theft and create a recovery plan. 
Let the credit union help you through each of these steps. Come in to see any of our branch representatives immediately or call us at 434-964-2001 or 888-887-9136.

UVA Community Credit Union will never contact you by email, phone or text message asking for your personal information. In addition, UVA Community Credit Union will never ask you to provide, update or verify personal or account information (social security number, member number, PIN, credit or debit card numbers, etc.) through unsolicited email. Beware of any email that does ask you to provide personal or account information, a technique known as "phishing". If you have been a victim of a scam and think your UVA Community Credit Union account information may have been compromised, contact us immediately at 434-964-2001 or toll-free, 1-888-887-9136.

You can learn more about protecting your computer in our Identity Theft Protection section or by visiting Stay Safe Online, a website hosted by the National Cyber Security Alliance.

Never click on a link contained in a suspicious email.
UVA Community Credit Union will NEVER ask you to provide, update or verify personal or account information (social security number, member number, PIN, Online Banking Username, credit or debit card numbers, etc.) through unsolicited email.
Business account holders should conduct periodic assessments of your internal controls and review who has access to your account information or your Online Banking login information.

Learn more about safe online practices at www.staysafeonline.org.

If you receive a fraudulent or suspicious email that uses the UVA Community Credit Union logo, name, or website do not reply to the email or click any links in the email message.
Forward it to us immediately at contactus@uvaccu.com.
Do not remove or retype the subject line, or change the email in any way. We will give you instructions on how to proceed after this.

The Electronic Funds Transfer Act is commonly known as “Regulation E” or “Reg E”. Reg E provides protection to consumers by establishing basic rights, liabilities and responsibilities for both financial institutions and customers. Under the protections provided under Reg E, consumers can recover Internet and other electronic banking losses according to how soon they are reported. Most transactions that consumers initiate electronically are covered by these rules.