WASHINGTON -- NAFCU is helping members fight identity theft this holiday season.
NAFCU is re-invigorating its educational offerings by offering a new brochure on the dangers of vishing, updating its existing popular brochure on the topic, and hosting a year-end anti-phishing and security Webcast.
NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker recently appeared on NewsChannel 8, Washington's only 24-hour local cable news channel, to alert consumers of identity theft concerns.
"Every minute, 28 people will become victims of identity theft. In 2005, it was estimated that identity theft cost businesses and consumers $56.6 billion. So we have to work diligently to stay ahead of the thieves," said Becker. "Identity thieves are always coming up with clever ways to trick people into giving up their personal information. By offering our members the latest insights on these tactics, we believe that makes credit unions better able to assist their members in preserving and protecting their private information."
With criminals using everything from fake Web sites to text messaging to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting consumers, the updated brochure, "Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft," not only details various methods of solicitation to watch out for but also offers tips for protecting sensitive information that reflect the ever-changing technological climate.
In addition, another brochure "Vishing...A New Identity Theft Threat," explains Voice over Internet Protocol scams and how members can protect themselves from giving out information via the telephone.
The updated brochures are available for purchase at www.nafcu.org/inserts.
--mdigiovanni@cutimes.com
