Skip to main content

ID Theft Protection

At Waterfront, we are always looking out for you, our members—your financial well-being, as well as your financial and personal safety. So this page is meant as a resource for you to visit from time-to-time to learn about current scams and other security situations surrounding your financial information, as well as how Waterfront plays a role in your protection.

To start off, we want to share a few points with you from our end of protecting your safety, and suggestions to help you do so as well.

  • Waterfront will never sell or share your information with any unnecessary third party companies or vendors
  • We will never ask you for highly sensitive information such as your Social Security Number, account numbers, etc. via email or any other non-secure virtual means
    • If you receive communication via these channels asking you for this type of information, it's most likely spam and we ask you to contact us directly as soon as possible
  • When you are reaching out to us via email or any other non-secure virtual means, please do not share highly sensitive information such as your Social Security Number, account numbers, etc.
    • You may share with us your phone number, address, etc. if you are certain you are communicating with us directly, but we suggest not listing or sharing any personal information if you are looking to communicate with us via non-secure virtual means. We will directly contact you should we need this kind of information from you.
    • To report any suspected fraud or to notify us before traveling to avoid blocked transactions, please click here to contact us
  • If you’ve been a victim of identity theft and need to report accordingly, here are some helpful links:

Cyber Security Tips

  • Avoid unknown links and attachments - Be very careful of websites, ads, and emails promoting free or discounted prices, and make sure to not click on any links or attachments you don’t trust.
  • Check for https - When making online purchases, be sure the website is using the “https” protocol to confirm your information is secure.
  • Update Software - Keep all of your anti-virus software, browsers, and plug-ins up to date.
  • Watch out for WiFi - Be wary of the wireless networks you connect to while traveling. Connecting to a compromised network can lead to theft of your credentials and other personal information.
  • Password Protect Devices - Be sure to secure mobile devices with a PIN or password. Devices left un-attended and without a password are easy targets for criminals.

At ATMS

  • Be aware of your surroundings
  • If it looks like someone has tampered with the equipment, don’t use it
  • If a suspicious person offers to help you use the ATM, refuse and leave
  • Put your money and ATM card away before you leave the ATM
  • Always avoid showing your cash and always verify that the amount you withdrew or deposited matches the amount printed on your receipt
  • Shred or destroy your ATM receipts before you throw them away

For Debit, ATM and Credit Cards

  • Report lost or stolen cards immediately
  • Sign your card on the signature panel as soon as you receive it
  • Don’t leave your credit cards in your car’s glove compartment as a high percentage of credit card thefts are from car glove compartments
  • Keep your cards away from things with magnets, which can erase the information stored on the card’s magnetic strip

PIN Safety

  • Never write down your personal identification number (PIN), especially on the back of your card — instead memorize it
  • Don’t write down your account number and PIN and carry it with you because if your wallet or purse is stolen, someone else could have access to your money
  • Never tell anyone your PIN
  • No one from Waterfront, the police or a merchant should ask for your PIN
  • When selecting a PIN, avoid picking a number that is easy for others to guess — for example, your name, telephone number, date of birth, or any simple combination of these
  • When typing in your PIN at the ATM or when making a point-of-sale purchase, cover the number pad so no one near you can see your PIN
  • Change your current PIN from time-to-time to make it more difficult for fraudsters to guess

ID Theft & Fraud

  • Waterfront is here to help our members protect their personal information by providing information on the most recent ID Theft and Fraud issues and security breeches locally and nationally, as well as tips to keeping you safe online and out there in the world. Read and click on the following section about the NCUA Fraud Prevention Center. But at any time you need to report any suspected fraud or to notify us before traveling to avoid blocked transactions, please click here to contact us. We also have this great resource and workbook about What to do if your ID is stolen.
  • In the aftermath of any incident where fraud has taken place, scammers will often prey on individuals even further. Verify phone calls and watch out for phishing emails.
  • Also, review your credit score annually for free and with no impact to your credit score by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

NCUA Fraud Prevention Center

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) now provides a wonderful resource for credit union members covering a variety of frauds and scams, identity theft and online security information and protection measures. Click here to surf around this informative and very helpful personal and financial protection tool.