Protect yourself against fraud

In an effort to protect our members from credit and debit card fraud, Sound has blocked the use of certain Visa transactions in the following locations.

If you plan to travel to any of the following areas, please notify Sound prior to your departure so that we may lift any card restrictions for that area during your travel time.

Location	Blocked Transactions
Visa Platinum
Japan	All transactions
Korea	All transactions
Malaysia	All transactions
Pakistan	All transactions
Romania	All transactions
South Africa	All transactions
Taiwan	All transactions
Thailand	All transactions
USA - California	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores
USA - Florida	All transactions at pharmacies and gas stations
USA - Illinois	All transactions
USA - New York	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores Transactions of $25 or more at gas stations
Visa Gold
Japan	All transactions
Korea	All transactions
Malaysia	All transactions
Pakistan	All transactions
Romania	All transactions
South Africa	All transactions
Taiwan	All transactions
Thailand	All transactions
Visa Blue/Classic
Japan	All transactions
Korea	All transactions
Malaysia	All transactions
Pakistan	All transactions
Romania	All transactions
South Africa	All transactions
Taiwan	All transactions
Thailand	All transactions
USA - Florida	All transactions at gas stations
Visa Debit
Japan	All transactions
Korea	All transactions
Malaysia	All transactions
Mexico	All transactions of $200 or more
Pakistan	All transactions
Romania	All transactions
South Africa	All transactions
Taiwan	All transactions
Thailand	All transactions
USA - Arizona	Transactions of $150 or more at discount stores, grocery stores, and gas stations
USA - California	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores All transactions at gas stations
USA - Florida	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores
USA - Georgia	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores
USA - Kansas	Transactions of $100 or more at discount and grocery stores All transactions at gas stations

Current Threats
No known threats at this time.

Previous Threats
September 28, 2011

Some members have reported receiving a call stating that their debit card has been blocked. The caller then requested personal information to unblock the card.

If you receive a call that claims to need your personal or card information, please do not give it to them. Instead, consider the call to be a deceitful attempt to obtain your information with the intent of committing fraudulent activity against your accounts.

May 29, 2010

Sound has learned of a telephone phishing scheme where an individual claiming to be a representative of Sound Credit Union is offering to lower the member's Visa interest rate if they can provide their card number. Sound Credit Union or any of our vendors will never call you to verify your account information. This form of phishing is considered a low-tech attack because it uses phone lines as opposed to a PC to gain personal information that can then be used to steal a person's identity. Remember when contacting Sound, always use phone numbers that appear on your monthly account statement or that appear at our website soundcu.com.

Email fraud can be a major problem for unsuspecting internet users. These emails, claiming to be sent by one of your financial services providers, or even a government agency, ask members to reply with personal information, such as their credit card number, Social Security number or online user ID and password.

A typical email will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. The email may also encourage you to click on a button to be forwarded to the institution's website. In a phishing scam you could be redirected to a phony Website that can look very similar to an authentic financial institution's website, where the thieves will try to obtain personal information from you.

Sound Credit Union will never initiate a request for sensitive information via email (such as Social Security numbers, telephone banking PIN, password or account numbers). If you receive an email that requests this type of sensitive information, you should be suspicious of it and contact Sound Credit Union or the institution that you received it from to verify its authenticity. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.

 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, affecting nine million Americans each year.

Identity theft could result in the following events: irregular charges on your account, money missing from your account, fraudulent or suspicious charges or account openings, or erroneous medical or wage records. No matter how it happens, take action to protect your identity and your personal information.

Tips for avoiding identity theft

• Carry only necessary information with you. Leave your social security card and unused credit cards at home in a safe and secure location.
• Make photocopies of vital information you carry regularly and store them in a secure place, such as a safe deposit box.
• Only provide your Social Security number when absolutely necessary.
• Replace paper invoices, statements and checks with electronic versions, if offered by your employer, bank, utility provider or merchant.
• Sign up for Sound's free Online Banking and reduce paper statements by signing up for BillPayer and eStatements.
• Place outgoing mail in a US Postal Service mailbox and promptly retrieve incoming mail to reduce the chance of mail theft.
• Know your billing and statement cycles. Contact the company's customer service department if you stop receiving your regular bill or statement.
• Shred documents containing personal or financial information before discarding. Most fraud and identity theft incidents happen as a result of mail and garbage theft.
• Review your credit report at least once a year, looking for suspicious or unknown transactions. You can get a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. For a small fee you can obtain a copy at any time directly from:
  • Equifax: (800) 685-1111 or equifax.com
  • Experian: (888) 397-3742 or experian.com
  • TransUnion: (800) 916-8800 or transunion.com

For more information on Identity theft and fraud prevention, click here.
 

If you suspect you're a victim of identity theft
If you suspect you have become a victim of identity theft, here are a few steps that can help to recover and restore your good credit.

• Contact Sound Credit Union immediately at (253) 383-2016 to flag or change your account numbers.
• Contact the three major credit bureaus (listed above) to put a fraud alert on your file. Ask them to notify you if any new accounts are opened.
• File a report with the local police and keep a copy as proof of the crime.
• File a complaint with the FTC toll free at (877) IDTHEF (877-438-4338). The FTC enters your case into a database that law enforcement agencies use for investigation.

Recovering from identity theft
Recovering your identity can take a significant amount of time. Studies show victims spend an average of 49 hours on identity theft recovery, often giving up without ever restoring their identity to pre-theft status.

Sound offers ID Reclaim, a fully managed identity theft recovery program that takes the work out of ID theft recovery.
Learn more about ID Reclaim
 

Additional Resources

Federal Trade Commission (877) 438-4338 consumer.gov/idtheft	Social Security Administration For Social Security number theft and misuse ssa.gov
Mail Theft usps.gov	Phone Fraud fcc.gov
When you click on any of the above links you will leave Sound Credit Union's website. Sound Credit Union is not responsible for information contained on other sites.

EMAIL MARKETING/COMMERCIAL EMAIL PRACTICES
Effective June 2010

Email marketing (emails whose primary purpose is commercial) will be handled in accordance with the federal CAN-SPAM rule. An "unsubscribe" link will be provided at the bottom of every message you receive. You can choose to stop receiving email messages from Sound Credit Union at any time by clicking "Manage Your Subscription” at the bottom of your email message. Please note that this opt-out only applies to promotional/commercial emails and will not affect any email communications you receive regarding important account information, product and service updates, or legally or regulatory required information by email. We also reserve the right to include some promotional information, as permitted by law, in the emails notifying you of the periodic statements and other disclosures or member transactional information that you have received electronically.

In order to keep you abreast of our latest service offerings, we may at times share your information with our affiliates and third-party service providers; however we will never sell or share your personal information to independent, third-party marketers.

Phishing Alert - Sound Credit Union will never send a promotional / commercial email requiring members provide personal financial information via the web, email, or pop-up windows. Please confirm that any links within emails you receive connect to the Sound Credit Union website (www.soundcu.com).

Any unsolicited requests for account information you receive through emails, websites, or pop-up windows should be considered fraudulent and reported immediately to Sound Credit Union.