By now, you have heard the news about the National Public Data breach, which exposed 2.9 billion personal records.

Sadly, these headlines are seen all too frequently. Protecting your financial data and money is Triangle Credit Union’s top priority. While we remain vigilant in our fight against fraud, we have seen increased attempts from fraudsters to trick our members into providing their account information.  

Most recently, fraudsters have called or texted members, posing as employees from the TCU Fraud Department with an incoming phone number that looks like Triangle’s local number. Once the conversation starts, the fraudsters request confidential online banking information and passcodes.

Triangle has implemented tools, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your online banking platforms, alerts through email, website, and online banking, and identity protection with Better Checking to circumvent fraudulent activities—all of which are designed to give you more control over your security.

As part of our ongoing effort, I am pleased to announce new enhancements to our Better Checking product that provides identity and fraud protection with ID Protect™. 

Effective November 1, 2024, Better Checking will include:

• Automatic registration for identity protection
• New credit score tracker 
• A dedicated app for easier access to activity and notifications
• Increased cell phone protection up to $400

If you are already a Better Checking account holder, information will be coming to you soon about these benefits, so stay tuned. If you have not yet opted into Better Checking, there has never been a more relevant time to switch to protect yourself and your loved ones.

For more information on protecting yourself and your money, I encourage you to visit triangleuniversity.org/blog/fraud.

Read the full issue of Money Talk here.