Security Information

The security of your personal information is important to us.

Gesa Credit Union will never request that members provide personal or banking information to us via unsolicited phone calls, texts, or e-mails.

Scammers can spoof phone numbers making the Caller ID appear to be from a trusted source, like the credit union.  Any request for your account or personal information should be considered suspicious and should be confirmed by contacting your local branch directly to verify the validity of the message.

Protect your identity

Identity theft is a crime on the rise.  While you can’t fully control whether you will become a victim, you can take certain steps to minimize your risk.

Protect your personal information.

• Don’t give out your social security number, credit card numbers or account numbers to anyone unless you initiate the transaction – whether on the phone, through the mail, on the computer or in person.
• Protect your PINs (Personal Identification Number) and other passwords.  Avoid using easily accessed information such as your birthdate or phone number.
• Don’t give your ATM, debit or credit card PIN (Personal Identification Number) to anyone – if you do, they’ll have access to your accounts.
• Review your credit card statements to make sure that there are no suspicious charges.  If there are, investigate them immediately.  Balance your account statement monthly.  If you feel there is an error, contact us.

Guard your mail from theft.

• Don’t place outgoing mail in your mailbox.  Instead, drop mail at the Post Office collection box.
• Promptly remove incoming mail from your mailbox.  If you are expecting a check or regular bill that has not arrived in a timely manner, investigate to see why.
• When ordering new checks, have them mailed to the branch instead of having them mailed to your home mailbox.

Check your credit report.

• The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT ACT) allows all individuals the right to check their credit report once every year.  You can obtain a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union.
  • To order your free annual report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free 877-322-8228.

Protect Yourself Online.

• Use a secure process when logging into financial accounts.
• Create Strong Passwords: Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and non-alphanumeric characters.
• Don’t use obvious passwords such as your spouse, child or pet’s names, your birthdate, your telephone number, etc.
• Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts: If they guess the password to one account, they can easily access your other accounts.
• Keep it to yourself.  Don’t share your password or any personal information online with anyone.
• Click here for Strong Password Guidelines

Have computer security programs running and regularly updated to look for the latest threats.

• Install and regularly update anti-virus software to protect against malware that can steal information.
• Use a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your computer.

Be smart when you connect to the Internet for banking or other communications involving sensitive personal information.

• Public Wi-Fi networks and computers at places such as libraries or hotels can be risky if they don’t have up-to-date security software.

Be aware of standard Internet safety features.

• Look for a padlock symbol on an online banking or shopping page (that means it is secure).
• Look for https:// at the beginning of the Web address (signifying that the website is authentic and encrypts data during transmission)

Be alert for online scams.

• Ignore unsolicited emails asking you to open an attachment or click on a link if you’re not sure who truly sent it and why.
• Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly online and asks for your personal information.

Prevent “Phishing Attacks”

The term “Phishing” – as in fishing for confidential information – refers to a scam that encompasses fraudulently obtaining and using an individual’s personal or financial information.  The consumer receives an e-mail which appears to originate from a well-known source like a financial institution or government agency.  The message state an urgent reason you must “verify” or “re-submit” personal or confidential information by clicking on a link embedded in the message.  The provided link in phishing scams actually belongs to the fraudster/scammer.

Tips to prevent a phishing scam:

• Never provide personal financial information, including your Social Security number, account numbers, or password, over the phone or internet if you did not initiate the contact.
  Be cautious about clicking on a link provided in an email you believe may be fraudulent.  It could contain a virus.  Many times these emails have obvious spelling errors.
• Don’t be intimidated.  If you receive an e-mail that suggests something bad will happen if you don’t provide or verify financial information, i.e. “Immediate Attention Required, or Please Contact Us Immediately”.
• If you question a contact is legitimate, go to a bookmark previously saved or type the address directly in the address line. Gesa Credit Union’s web page address is www.ssbwa.com.

What if you think you have fallen victim to an attack?

• Contact us as soon as possible by calling 360-736-0763 or 800-242-2036 or visiting any of our 11 local branches.
• If you think you have disclosed sensitive information in this manner (called a phishing attack), call one of the major credit reporting bureaus and discuss whether you should place a fraud alert on your file.
  • Equifax 800-525-6285
  • Experian 888-397-3742
  • TransUnion 800-680-7289