Kindred Credit Union answers some of your most frequently asked questions about protecting your accounts and online information from attempted fraud, theft, and scams.
Q) Who is the main target of fraud?
Truly anyone can be a victim of fraud. There are many types of scams circling around. Fraudster are good at their job, and a can be friendly, convincing, have all the time in the world to connect with you on a personal level. If something seems to be good to be true it likely is! Whenever you have a concern, you can always call Kindred or stop in at your nearest branch for guidance.Q) What is identity theft?
Identity theft is when someone steals your identity. Fraudsters use your information – your name, address, age, even banking information or shopping habits – to open new financial accounts or credit cards in your name. They might even have enough information to impersonate you and gain access to banking accounts and steal your money.Q) What is a phishing scam?
Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending electronic messages (email, text, and social media) claiming to be a reputable business or someone you know in order to trick you into giving them personal information. Learn more about phishing scams here.
Q) What is a vishing scam?
Vishing scams call your phone, pretending to be the CRA, Carbon Tax Company, your mobile phone provider, or other “official” sounding individuals. Learn more about how to avoid being tricked in vishing scams here.Q) What other common scams are there that I should look out for?
There are so many scams out there! There’s overpayment scams, gift card scams, even something called a “grandparent scam”. Keeping up to date on these is paramount to protecting yourself. For the latest news, announcements, and updates in fraud prevention, please check Kindred Credit Union’s News Page regularly to stay up to date.Q) How does a Member know if the caller is a legitimate Kindred staff member?
Kindred staff would never contact you to gather personal information, confirm account details, or request you to purchase gift cards. If you’re unsure of who the caller is, you should always hang up the phone and contact the company at a legitimate phone number.Q) How do you know if it’s safe to click on a link or open an attachment?
You should never click on a link or open an attachment if you don’t know who sent you the email or you weren’t expecting the email. Ask yourself: Do I know the sender of the email? Am I expecting this email? Have you hovered over the email address to see if it’s the true recipient? And if you’re not sure, call the sender of the email to confirm.Q) How often should I review my account?
If you have access to MemberDirect, you should check your account frequently. When you receive your statement, review your statement as soon as possible (within 30 days). If at any time you see a suspicious transaction on your account, immediately report it to Kindred Credit Union.Q) Is sending Interac e-Transfers safe?
The short answer yes! However, sending e-Transfers is like cash, when sending funds, the funds are gone after you hit send. You should only send to known trusted recipients.Q) Is receiving an Interac e-Transfer safe?
The short answer yes! However, best practice is to registered your email for AutoDeposit. This will allow any received e-Transfer to be deposited into your Kindred account automatically, you won’t need to answer a security questions and login into to your account to accept the e-Transfer. A scam that we are seeing is the sender will provide a link to the recipient claiming it’s how they should receive the e-Transfer. This is not true, as this link is a compromised e-Transfer.Q) What should I do if I think I may have been compromised through a phishing call, text, email etc.?
You should stop all communication and call Kindred Credit Union.