Personal Information Security

Safeguarding your personal information is an obligation we take seriously at PFFCU. Please read the following information so that you may better protect yourself against identity theft.

Visa Fraud Monitoring

We continue to upgrade our computer security systems to ensure that your data is protected. Your PFFCU Check Card and PFFCU VISA® Credit Card have various fraud detection, prevention, and account protection systems in place to ensure your security. We employ sophisticated software that tracks member VISA credit and debit activity to spot suspicious activity so that we can limit a thief’s use of the member’s card. For greater protection, our VISA Credit Card and VISA Check Cards can no longer be used in the following countries due to an extremely high amount of fraudulent activities: Columbia, China, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Japan.

Please call us if you plan to travel outside the United States for a current list of countries where our VISA Credit and Check Cards may be blocked from use. American Express® TravelFunds Cards and American Express® Travelers Cheques are available at our branches and are a safe way to transact business in these countries without exposing yourself to possible fraud. If a fraudulent charge does occur at home or abroad, you can rest easy knowing you have $0 liability on unauthorized purchases when you report the problem promptly.

Identity Theft Protection

To help keep your personal information secure, we encourage you to allow us to scan your photo identification into our system when you visit a branch. This allows us to quickly identify you in the future when you visit any of our branches and helps us prevent unauthorized access to your PFFCU accounts. We feel so strongly about protecting your account that, if you decline our request to scan your photo identification, we will require that you put a Transaction Authorization Code (TAC) on your account. A TAC is a security code that you select, and once selected, is required to be given in order to perform a transaction or release information on your account. Even if someone had your name and account number, our staff would still deny them service without the correct TAC. You can also choose not to receive paper statements and view your account information online if you are concerned about someone stealing the statements in the mail. If you do fall victim to identity theft, give us a call. We can help take the necessary steps to restore your good credit.

Phishing

”Phishing” is tricking someone into giving confidential information, generally resulting in monetary and identity theft. Some phishing scams include sending emails with links to websites that may look familiar or legitimate but are not. You may be warned of a problem that requires your immediate attention. The e-mail will then encourage you to go to the institution's web site. In a phishing scam, you will be redirected to a web site that has been set-up to collect your personal information. The site may look exactly like the real thing. You will then be asked to provide personal information (i.e. Social Security Number, account numbers, password(s), etc.). If you provide personal information in response to an unsolicited request, through an unsecured web site, you risk becoming a victim of identity theft. We plan to add new security features to PC EXPRESS that will give you greater confidence that you are connected to PFFCU when completing your on-line transactions.

Another common “phishing” scam happens over the phone. The scammer calls pretending to be a representative from a legitimate company with whom you regularly do business. Then the scammer asks for personal information. You should never give private information to someone who contacts you via email or phone claiming to be from the government or PFFCU. If you have any doubt about the validity of the person asking for the information, call PFFCU directly. Ask if the person works at PFFCU and why they need the information.

You can prevent yourself from becoming a "phishing" victim by taking a few, simple precautions:

* Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request.

* If you believe an email contact may not be legitimate, contact the sender to verify it.

* Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited request.

* Never submit personal and confidential information through a web site that does not have a or https:// displayed in your web browser's location bar.

* Review your account statements regularly to ensure all your information, including all transactions, are correct.

Members who believe they may have been a victim of this kind of personal identification theft should contact a PFFCU representative by phone at 215-931-0300 or 800-228-8801 to report suspicious account activity or provide information about what they believe to be suspicious web sites. You may also visit the NCUA Fraud Hotline web site for more information, or file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.