Fraud Prevention

9 Ways to Prevent Fraud

Don’t let yourself be a victim – follow these best practices for avoiding fraud in the first place.

1. Protect your personal and financial information — Don’t ever respond to requests for personal or financial information unless you have initiated the contact or know the organization you’re dealing with is legitimate.
2. Destroy all your financial documents before putting them in the garbage or recycling — Shred, tear or burn credit card and bank statements and any other documents with sensitive information on them
3. Never give your personal information over the phone — Unless you initiated the call.
4. Report lost or stolen credit/debit cards, drivers license, social insurance card, passport, etc. immediately – That way, your bank can block or cancel your card so no one else can use it.
5. Consult with a trusted and knowledgeable financial advisor — Do you have someone in your life you can call to talk to about financial matters? It’s a good idea to have someone you can trust on your side – whether it’s an advisor, an accountant, or someone at your bank.
6. Review your financial statements monthly — Check for any charges or withdrawals you don’t remember making.
7. Never share your PIN number or passwords with anyone and choose PINs and passwords that are hard to guess — Hide it with your hand or body whenever using an ABM or store keypad. And do not choose passwords or PINs that would be easy to guess, such as part of your address, phone number or birthday or the birth date of close family members.
8. Keep virus and anti-spy ware up to date on your computers, tablets and mobile devices — This is key to making sure that no one can get access to personal information on your computer
9. Visit websites you know are legitimate — And only shop online with reputable businesses.

Is It Legit? 5 Questions To Ask:

Not sure whether someone is contacting you for legitimate business reasons? Ask yourself these questions:

Is someone asking for personal or financial information over the phone, email or via text?  Your bank would never call you on the phone or contact you via email to ask for personal information or details about your bank accounts, passwords, credit cards etc.  They already have that information.

1. Has someone requested your PIN number or password? A bank or service provider will never contact you and ask you for your passwords or hints about your passwords… (i.e. you mother’s maiden name)
2. Do you have cheques or a new credit card that didn’t arrive in your mailbox? Someone may have taken your mail and could have access to what’s in there.
3. Is someone asking you for full payment for goods or services up front? Never wire someone money you don’t know for a service or item you haven’t received yet.
4. Are you being pressured to act now? If someone is pressuring you to act right away, it’s a sign this might not be legitimate. Take your time and do not send money or provide information until you’re sure someone is not trying to scam you.

Where to Get Help

Have you or someone you know experienced fraud?  Tell someone and take action.  Here’s where to get help:

Call your Credit Union – Esterhazy 306.745.6615

Call your local RCMP – Esterhazy 306.745.4740