Tonawanda Federal Credit Union
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tonawanda federal credit union, online banking

Main Office
257 Highland Parkway
Buffalo, NY 14223
Phone (716) 873-4688
Fax (716) 873-2124
Hours:
Mon - Fri: 10 am to 5 pm   Sat: 9 am to 12 noon


Tonawanda Community FCU welcomes
the members of Tonawanda School Employees FCU



bank
TCFCU and CUNA Mutual Group have joined forces to bring you services provided by CUNA Mutual Group

bank
The credit union has teamed up with Enterprise Car sales. Low loan rates & haggle free pricing help you to enjoy your car buying experience.

General Information

Lost /Stolen VISA Debt or Credit Card
Call 1-800-325-3678
Additionally, call the office to get a new card and review transactions.

Fraud - 1-855-961-1602

Routing # - 222083355

Free Credit Report Once per year
https://www.annualcreditreport.com
 

Identity Theft


ID Theft Resources

Identity theft and scams are unfortunately a part of our culture and something we need to be prepared for and protect ourselves against. To better protect the privacy of your personal and financial information, Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union would like to keep you informed of potential scams and arm you in protecting your identity.

Tips to Protect Your Personal Information

You can take an active role in protecting your personal information by following these tips:

  • Check your credit report on a regular basis for incorrect or fraudulent information. Visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com to retrieve your free report once a year.
  • Immediately shred unsolicited credit card offers.
  • Never give personal, credit card or financial information over the phone, unless you initiated the call.
  • Never provide financial information to anyone via email.
  • Receive electronic statements instead of paper statements whenever possible.
  • Keep your computer antivirus software up to date.
  • Be suspicious of any email asking for personal information or containing a link to a website requesting you to enter your personal information such as your name, account number, password, PIN or social security number. Companies should not ask you for this information through an email.
  • Never reply to a suspicious or unexpected email informing you that your account will be closed, shut down or made inaccessible unless you confirm your account information. Do not click any links that are in the email.
  • If you are uncertain about the request, contact the company that send the email through an address or telephone number that you know to be genuine.
  • Another good source for information about the latest scams and threats is OnGuardOnline.gov, www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0120-avoiding-scams-101, and ftc.gov.
  • If you suspect that you unknowingly supplied an untrusted source with your personal or financial information, contact us immediately at 716-873-4688.
 

Compromised Card Information

What does card compromise mean?

Card compromise means that credit/debit card information may have been obtained by unauthorized individual(s). Most compromises involve a criminal gaining unauthorized access to a merchant’s or card processor’s computer system – sometimes referred to as “hacking into” or “installing malware” to capture data on a system.

Where did the breach occur?

The name of the merchant or processor where the breach occurred is rarely released by Visa. In very large breaches that affect millions of cardholders, the name is usually made known to consumers via major media outlets.

Does this mean someone is using my card?

Not necessarily. This means that your card number could potentially be used by someone. Monitor your account and report any fraudulent activity to us immediately.

Will I get a new card?

You will first have to confirm the activity on the card was fraudulent with our monitoring company Falcon Security, who will most likely be the first to contact you in the event of fraud either by call or text. After that confirmation, you must call the main office at 716-873-4688 to order a new card.

How long does it take to get a new card?

The new card will take 7-10 business days to arrive to your home, the new PIN following in a separate mailer that may come on a separate day entirely. If you need the card sooner, you would have to expedite it for a $25 fee, and it would arrive directly at the credit union for you to pick up.

Will I be charged a fee to replace the card?

In the instance of fraud, we do not charge for a new card. Unless you expedite the card, in which there is a $25 fee.

What if I have preauthorized debits to the compromised card number?

Contact the merchant when you have received and activated your new card and give them the new card information including card number and expiration date. You may be able to use the merchant’s website to update this information.

What can I do to keep this from happening again?

Unfortunately, fraud of all sorts has become a part of our daily lives, but to protect yourself, please check your accounts often and report all suspicious activity immediately. We recognize the inconvenience that members face when this happens and we will assist you in getting fraudulent activity removed from your account.

What security precautions should I take with my Visa cards?

Always know where your card is, and if you misplace it, call us immediately during business hours so we can block the card. After hours, call our monitoring company for debit transactions: 855-961-1602. After hours, call the credit card company: 1-800-872-1712. Never store your PIN on the card or in a place where both can be stolen. Monitor your statement and authorized activity. When using your card on the Internet, be aware of what sort of website it is and check for all the security features that should be present on the site. If you receive a phone call from someone asking for your debit information, do not provide this information unless you feel comfortable doing so.

If fraud does occur on this account, what should I do?

Please call us immediately so that we are able to address the issues. Normal operating business hours. Mon-Fri 10:00-5:00, Sat. 9:00-12:00. Call the office at 716-873-4688 and speak with someone on our team who can assist you.

 

Fake Check Scams

What You Should Know

If someone you don’t know wants to pay you by check, but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware. It is most likely a scam and could cost you thousands of dollars.

There are many variations of this fake check scam. It usually starts with someone offering to:

  • Give you the first installment on the millions you’ll receive for agreeing to transfer money from a foreign country to your account for safekeeping.
  • Buy something you advertised.
  • Give you an "advance" on a sweepstakes you've won.

The scammers often claim to be outside the US, saying that they cannot pay you directly, and that they will have someone who owes them money send you a check or a money order.

The amount of the check or money order may be more than you are owed, so you are instructed to deposit it and wire the balance to the scammer or to someone else. Or you are told to wire some of the money back to pay a fee to claim your “winnings” from a sweepstakes. In either event, the criminals send a fake check or money order with instructions to deposit it in your account. When you look at your check balance, it looks like the funds have arrived. After you have wired the money back to the scammer, you learn that the check or money order has bounced and you are left responsible.

Bounced Checks Can Cost You

These fake checks look so real that even credit union tellers may be fooled. Under federal law, financial institutions must make the funds you deposit available quickly; usually within one to five business days. Just because you can withdraw the money does not mean that the check is good. Forgeries can take weeks to be discovered.

It is important to keep in mind that under the law, you are responsible for the checks and money orders you deposit because you are in the best position to determine how risky the transaction is. When a check or money order bounces, you owe your financial institution the money you withdrew.

How Scammers Find Their Victims

Fake check scammers use a variety of sources to identify their victims including:

  • Scanning newspaper and online advertisements for people listing items for sale.
  • Check postings on online job sites from people seeking employment.
  • Place their own advertisements with phone numbers or email addresses for people to contact them.
  • Call or send emails, letters, or faxes to people randomly, knowing that somebody will take the bait.

What You Should Do

There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back – that is a clear sign of a scam. If someone you do now know wants to you for something, insist on a cashier’s check for the exact amount, preferably from a local financial institution or one with a branch in your area.

If you think someone is trying to pull a fake check scam, don’t deposit it – report it. Contact the National Consumers League’s Fraud Center www.fraud.org. For more information about fake check scams and how you can avoid them, go to www.fakechecks.org

 

Privacy Policy

The Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union is a member owned financial institution providing you with competitive financial products and services that will enable you to meet your financial goals. WE are equally committed to safeguarding your confidential information and protecting your privacy. The privacy policy informs you of what we do to protect your information and also some steps that you can take to protect your personal and financial information.

Information We Collect

We collect a variety of non-public, personal information about you from the following sources:

  • Information we receive from you on applications and other forms
  • Information about your transactions with us and/or others
  • Information we receive from a consumer reporting agency
  • Email and electronic information sources
  • Information we receive from marketing surveys to provide new benefits and services

Disclosure to Parties that Provide Services

The Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union uses a variety of third-party vendors to assist in offering competitive products and services to our members. We may disclose all of the information that we collect to companies that perform marketing or other services on our behalf to other financial institutions with who, we have joint marketing agreements.

How We Protect Your Personal and Financial Privacy

This Credit Union will partner only with companies that agree to maintain strong confidentiality protections and limit the use of information we provide. We will not continue a relationship with any third-party vendor who violates the policy. We may disclose non-public information about you to the following third-party vendors:

  • Financial service providers, such as providing mortgage or insurance services.
  • • Non-financial companies, such as consumer reporting agencies, data processors, check/share draft and other printers, plastic card processors, and government agencies.

Although we may be permitted by law to disclose certain information about our members, the Credit Union will not disclose that information if we determine it does not contribute to your financial interests. We will disclose information with your consent or if required by law* (see Special Notices). If you decide to terminate our membership or if you become an inactive member, we will continue to adhere to privacy policies and practices as described in this notice.

Per Regulation V, also known as the FACT ACT, the Credit Union may report information about you account to credit bureaus. Late payments, missed payments, or other defaults on your account may be reflected in your credit report.

How We Protect Your Information

We restrict access to non-public personal information about you to those employees who need to know that information to provide products and services to you. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that meet or exceed federal regulations to guard your non-public personal information.

Special Notices

In accordance with Section 326 of the USA Patriot Act, you authorize us to verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. You further authorize us to check your account, credit, and employment history, and obtain a credit report from third parties, including credit report agencies, to verify your eligibility for any account or services you request.

We do not collect personal identifying information about visitors to our site, except as described below. Our servers collect standard, non-identifying information about visitors to the site, such as date and time visited, IP address, city, state, and country. This information is used to compile standard statistics on site usage. The Credit Union may use your email address to send you important information relating to your account, to communicate with you to handle your request, and to inform you about other Credit Union products and services. Information you have provided to us will not be sold or transferred to other parties.

Disclosure of Information Practices with Regard to Children

As required by The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, personal information such as the name, address, email address, telephone number, social security number, persistent identifier, or combination of various identifying elements, of children under the age of thirteen is not collected by the Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union. If a child elects to send email or other electronic request to the Credit Union, we may respond to that email or request. However, the email address of the child will be deleted and no personal information will be collected, stored or disclosed.

What You Can Do to Help

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our members. You can help by following these simple guidelines:

  • Protect your account numbers, plastic card numbers, PINs, or passwords. Never keep your PIN with your card, which can provide free access to your accounts if your card is lost or stolen.
  • Use caution when disclosing your account numbers, social security numbers, etc. to other persons. If someone calls you explaining that the call is on behalf of the Credit Union and asks for your account number, you should be aware that official credit union staff would have access to your information. If they are calling you, they will not need to ask for it.
  • Keep your information with us current. If your address or phone number changes, please let us know and fill out the necessary forms with us. It is important that we have current information on how to reach you. If we detect potentially fraudulent or unauthorized activity or use of an account, we will attempt to contact you immediately.

Let us know if you have questions. Please do not hesitate to call the Credit Union – we are here to serve!



















 
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All funds are insured to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration.
Tonawanda Federal Credit Union
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