Privacy protection

We’re protecting your online experience.

With thousands of Members visiting CU SoCal’s website each day, it’s important to know we have security measures in place to help protect CUSoCal.org from attacks and ensure your information privacy and data security and privacy. While no financial institution is 100% immune to would-be thieves, we monitor our site 24/7 and have implemented layers of personal information protection to minimize the chances of a successful intrusion.

Below is a brief overview of how we protect your information privacy:

• We monitor our online services 24/7. This includes the use of more than 70 checks from separate locations to verify our site is up and available. We also analyze all files on our website, including checking for any changes in size or location that would indicate the site has been altered without our authorization. Our team is immediately alerted if there are any changes to the site.
• Our domain name is secured. We use Internet service providers who host our domain name across different segments of the Internet (including other continents), as well as provide added security over these domain names. This helps to “lock down” our domain name so CU SoCal members encounter less risk of being redirected to a fraudulent site without their knowledge or permission.
• The website’s host is protected. Our hosting service maintains the server that runs our site using the latest security patches available. This data center provides the highest level of “up time” to members in the event of something unforeseen — such as a natural disaster in Southern California.
• Online Banking is encrypted. You expect your online financial transactions to be protected to the highest degree possible, and we make it happen. When you access Online Banking, your financial information is automatically encrypted for maximum data security and privacy. Encryption means your financial transaction is digitally scrambled, sent to us via a secure server, and then decoded with a process that only our data processing system knows. This happens for each and every transaction, 24/7.
• We notify you before you exit our secure website. To enhance your web browsing experience, we often provide links to external web resources. Before any link on our website takes you to an external domain, a brief message will appear to notify you that you are leaving our secure website, and it asks you to click to confirm your permission. In order for this notification to deploy properly, we recommend that Java Script is enabled on your web browser.

Helpful tips to keep you protected when you bank on your mobile device.

At CU SoCal, we’re committed to reducing the risk associated with fraudulent activity, with fraud prevention services and personal information protection.

All CU SoCal Mobile Banking services use the same security standards as Online Banking. However, when you are banking on-the-go, it’s important you take extra precautions against fraud. With CU SoCal’s free Mobile Banking App, you can make it happen securely and conveniently from your Android or Apple device — anytime, anywhere.

Here are steps you can take to help protect your account and increase personal information protection:

• Password-protect your mobile device.
• Download signed applications only from trusted sources.
• If you are using a mobile device on the Android operating system, do not enable Android’s “install from unknown sources” feature.
• Never store usernames and passwords on your device.
• Keep the mobile device with you or secure your device in a safe place.
• Frequently delete text messages received from CU SoCal.
• Notify CU SoCal and your wireless carrier immediately if your mobile device is lost or stolen.
• Do not modify your mobile device as it may disable important security features.
• Install antivirus software.
• Check your CU SoCal account frequently and notify the credit union of any unauthorized transactions.
• Do not respond to text messages requesting personal information, such as Social Security numbers, credit/debit/ATM card numbers, and account numbers.
• Adopt the same safe practices you would use on your personal computers, including not opening attachments or clicking links contained in an email received from any unfamiliar sources.

Here are some ways to help protect your identity.

Identity theft is the fastest growing fraud scheme in the United States. CU SoCal takes personal information protection seriously, which is why we’ve gone to great lengths to create provide identity recovery services.

It has been estimated that nearly 27 million Americans have been victimized over the last five years. Ten million Americans discovered they were victims of some form of ID theft in the last 12 months.

Nearly seven million Americans discovered their credit card or other account information had been misused in the last 12 months. More than three million Americans discovered their personal information had been misused in the last 12 months for “new account fraud” designed to open new accounts and take out loans.

CU SoCal is pleased to provide access to identity restoration services through nxg |PROTECT at no additional cost for Rewards Checking account holders.

On the average, victims reported spending approximately $500 to deal with their identity theft experience. Victims of the more serious “new accounts and other frauds” form of identity theft spend on average nearly $1,200. Identity theft of all types cost victims an estimated $5 billion in the last 12 months.

Victims of identity theft spent an estimated 297 million hours recovering from identity theft last year alone. About 194 million hours from “new accounts and other fraud,” while roughly 100 million hours were spent dealing with the misuse of existing accounts.

Because we take your privacy seriously, CU SoCal’s Identity Restoration Services are provided free to every member with a Rewards Checking Account.

In addition to earned points and other great benefits, you get:

Full-service identity theft restoration with a personal privacy advocate. ¹

Tips to help protect your identity:

• Shred all junk mail, credit card applications, and items that have your name, Social Security number (SSN), address, date of birth or other pertinent personal information BEFORE you throw it in the trash.
• When paying bills via U.S. Mail, deposit the bill into a LOCKED mailbox. Do not put it in your home mailbox if it is not secured. Identity thieves will cruise neighborhoods looking for the “red flag” on mailboxes, take your bills, and alter your personal checks or use the checks to get your account number and order additional checks.
• If your monthly or quarterly bank and/or credit card statements fail to arrive, immediately contact your financial institution and/or credit card company.
• If your financial institution or credit card company offers online viewing of your outstanding checks and charges, monitor your account on a daily or every other day basis. Look for checks you did not write or charges you did not authorize.
• Sign your credit cards. If you don’t someone else will.
• Do not carry your Social Security card in your purse or wallet. In addition, look at other items you carry to determine if they have your SSN on them. If your driver’s license is your SSN, change it. Remember, identity thieves only need your SSN, name, and address to steal your ID.
• If you suspect you may have been a victim of identity theft, follow the instructions below immediately. Waiting two or three days can cause problems down the road.

Due to the rising number of occurrences of identity theft, the Credit Union National Association adopted a program (required under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, FACTA, which became law in 2003) issuing one free credit report each year to consumers. This program is designed to encourage consumers to regularly check their credit report to ensure that the information contained in the report is accurate and also provides an opportunity to the consumer to look for possible signs of identity theft.

To request your free credit report visit Annual Credit Report.

A security freeze protects against identity theft and the opening of fraudulent accounts with a consumer’s personal information. It will block an institution or lender from accessing a report, unless a pre-set PIN is provided to “thaw” the report; a credit report may be thawed at a particular bureau for a period of time or for a specific lender. Consumers must contact each of the bureaus listed below to place a security freeze. Note: Each of the credit bureaus will give or allow you to create a PIN to be used to thaw or unfreeze your report in the future. It is very important you do not lose or forget this PIN! It is recommended to store it in multiple locations with other important documents, including a safe deposit box or home lockbox, or in a password-protected format electronically.

Go to each of the following sites to place a security freeze and follow the instructions; record and protect the PIN:

• Equifax
• Experian
• Innovis
• TransUnion

Some states charge fees to place a freeze, thaw or unfreeze a credit report; see the sites above for specific state details.

A fraud alert on credit reports requires potential creditors to contact the consumer and obtain permission to open new accounts or lines of credit. Consumers are allowed by law to report they are an identity theft victim and file a fraud alert (aka a “security alert”) every 90 days; with proper documentation such as a police report, the fraud alert period may be extended to seven years.

If consumers contact one of the first three listed below, that bureau is required to contact the other two; consumers must contact the fourth bureau directly to place an alert.

• Place a fraud alert with Equifax or call 800.525.6285
• Place a fraud alert with Experian or call 888.397.3742
• Place a fraud alert with TransUnion or call 800.680.7289
• Place a fraud alert with Innovis or call 800.540.2505

Unless there is an extended fraud alert in place, make a reminder to renew the fraud alerts after 90 days.

Consumers are entitled by law to a free credit report from each of the credit reporting bureaus once a year.

• Go to annualcreditreport.com or call 877.322.8228 and follow instructions to access the free credit reports.

It is recommended consumers check their report three times a year by pulling the report for one bureau every four months. Items to watch for are “new” or “re-opened” accounts and other suspicious activity.

Add an extra level of security to your CU SoCal account(s):

• Add a security challenge pass-phrase that must be shared before any changes are made to account(s) by completing our Password Request form and dropping it off at your nearest CU SoCal branch, mailing it to P.O. 76000 Anaheim, CA 92809-7600, or faxing it to us at 714.990.5492.
• Enroll CU SoCal Visa® Debit Cards in the CU SoCal Card Guard App to monitor and protect debit card activity.