Identity Theft Resources & Assistance

Identity Theft Resources & Victim Assistance

Identity theft is a serious crime. Those whose identities have been stolen can spend months to years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess made of their credit. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans and perhaps even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

REMEMBER: REPUTABLE ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION (NCUA), CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (CUNA), CARDHOLDER SERVICES AND WESTCONSIN CREDIT UNION, WILL NEVER CONTACT YOU BY PHONE OR EMAIL TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION.

If you receive a suspicious email, phone call or letter, please do not respond to it and contact the local authorities. If an item appears to come from WESTconsin Credit Union, contact our Service Center at (800) 924-0022 to verify the validity of the inquiry.

Five Steps to Reclaiming Your Identity

Step 1: If you suspect suspicious activity, place a fraud alert on your file with all three credit bureaus.

Experian

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| (888) 397-3742

| (800) 525-6285

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Step 2: Close all accounts that were affected. It may help to write down all the facts regarding the situation in an I.D. Theft Affidavit and file it with all affected creditors.

Step 3: File a police report and keep a copy. An over-worked police department may indicate that this won't do much good, but insist on it.

Step 4: File a complaint with the FTC*.

Step 5: Alert your credit union and all your unaffected creditors. A fraudulent charge may have been reported to them, causing a change in your rates.

*To file a complaint with the FTC, or to learn more about recovering your identity, visit the FTC’s Identity Theft website

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or call (877) 438-4338.

Other Resources

If your wallet is stolen or your WESTconsin card is missing, call (800) 449-7728. This toll-free number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all WESTconsin Credit Union credit and debit cards.

Do you have identity theft protection? Identity IQ® provides resources to help protect you against identity theft and is available with our Preferred Checking account.

Customer Identification Program (CIP)

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money-laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What does this mean to you? We will ask for your name, address, date of birth and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.

Sharing Your Personal Information: It’s Your Choice

Companies, marketers and government agencies may use your information simply to process orders you place; they may also use it to tell you about products, services, or promotions, or they may share your information with others. More organizations are offering people choices about how their personal information is used. For example, many let you "opt-out" of having your information shared with others or used for promotional purposes.

The three major credit bureaus—Trans Union, Experian and Equifax—may have different requirements on how to opt-out, and offer a toll-free number that enables consumers to opt-out of all pre-approved credit offers with just one phone by dialing (888) 5-OPTOUT or (888) 567-8688.

If you receive a phone call in which you are asked your credit card or account numbers, social security number or any other personal or financial information, stop! Remember, a company you do business with should already have this information on file and should not need to ask you for it. To protect yourself, simply say, "This isn’t a good time. I will call back." Then hang up the phone and contact the institution from which the caller said he or she was from to see if there's truly an issue with your account. Find the company’s phone number from the phone directory, a current statement or the company’s official website.

If you receive an email that contains an urgent message about an account, stop! Do not click on the link, delete the email immediately, and contact the institution from which the email appears to have come. Find the company’s phone number from the phone directory, a current statement or the company’s official website, not the number that may be listed in the suspicious email.

The Federal Trade Commission’s website

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has information on protecting yourself, what to do if you fall victim as well as a sample opt-out letter.

CALL-24 account access-Menomonie: (715) 232-7300 Elsewhere: (888) 928-2255
To report a lost/stolen debit or credit card: (800) 449-7728

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a U.S. Government Agency