Card Product Security

Basic Card Safety Tips Credit Alert® Service Traveling Abroad Security Call Scams Card Skimming Cash Trapping Chip Card Security Q&A

Basic Card Safety Tips
At Innovation Credit Union, we care about your protection and financial safety. We'd like to remind you to follow these simple steps to further protect yourself from identity theft and fraud:

• Treat your payment cards like cash. Do not leave them unattended.
• Sign the back of new cards as soon as you receive them.
• Shred personal information such as bills, bank statements, and payment card offers before you recycle them.
• If you have a Personal Identification Number (PIN) on your GLOBAL PAYMENT™ MasterCard® card or Member Card, memorize it. Do not write it down or disclose it to anyone, and never leave it in your wallet with your card. When selecting your PIN, do not pick the obvious like your birth date, SIN, or phone number.
• Keep your GLOBAL PAYMENT MasterCard receipts and Member Card sales receipts and check them against your monthly statement to make sure no one else is using your card. Report unauthorized transactions or discrepancies immediately to your credit union.
• Report lost or stolen cards immediately by contacting your credit union or calling toll free at 1-800-LOST-111 (1-800-567-8111), or collect at 306-566-1276 if you are travelling outside of North America. Most fraudulent use of payment cards occurs within hours of the card being lost or stolen.
• Do not provide your GLOBAL PAYMENT MasterCard card number over the phone unless you have made the call and you know the company is reputable.
• Destroy unwanted cards immediately so no one else can use them.

Enjoy the convenience of your payment cards safely!

Credit Alert Service
Credit Alert is a comprehensive service that monitors each cardholder's personal credit file every business day and alerts cardholders to activity reporting on their credit bureau, such as inquiries made, address changes, and new accounts opened in their name. Not only does this service help protect against identity theft, it allows for verification of changes that could affect a cardholder's credit rating and helps to indicate credit fraud.

Cardholders who enroll in Credit Alert will receive the following valuable benefits:

• A welcome kit providing the cardholder with one Bureau Credit Report with a score rating
• Quarterly personal credit reports to verify accuracy of credit history, including a credit score to help cardholders understand their position when applying for credit
• Daily monitoring with e-mail alerts of activity on their personal credit files
• Access to trained credit specialists who can help explain credit report information and help dispute inaccuracies
• Specialized service to help minimize damage for victims of identity theft

For more information about Credit Alert or to subscribe to the service, call CU Credit MasterCard customer service at 1.877.770.0738.

Best Practices When Traveling in Canada or Countries Abroad
Before you travel, you should always notify your credit card issuer in advance. Contact CU Credit MasterCard customer service at 1.877.770.0738 with your travel itinerary (when and where you’ll be traveling) so if they see unusual activity on your account, they’ll know why. One of the ways that MasterCard issuers monitor for fraud is by detecting transactions that vary from your usual spending pattern. Your card issuer’s contact information can be found on the back of your card.

Also contact Innovation Credit Union with your travel itinerary.   If the country or timeframe of the transaction is different than the info CU Credit MasterCard is given, the card may be blocked and an alert created.    Innovation can also record the same information given to your credit card provider and will deal with any alerts that may appear.

Record and keep safe any important MasterCard phone numbers:

• Lost & Stolen Cards within Canada and continental USA - 1.800.567.8111
• Lost & Stolen Cards outside Canada and continental USA - 1.306.566.1276 (collect)
• Out of Country Health Plan - 1-877-770-0738
• MasterTrip - 1-877-770-0738
• MasterRental - 1-877-770-0738
• MasterLegal - 1-877-770-0738

Verify that your MasterCard can be used at the country being visited. At this time, MasterCard cannot be used in the following countries:  Cuba, Iran, Burma, North Korea & Sudan.    Contact CU Credit MasterCard customer service at 1.877.770.0738 to verify the country your are visiting accepts MasterCard.

Search for ATMs anywhere in the world that accept cards with the Interac, Cirrus or Maestro symbols.

Protect your card and PIN. Make sure you know where your card is at all times. Watch for lurkers when entering your PIN.   Protect your PIN by ensuring no one within eyeshot can see you enter your PIN.

Verify your card's expiry date and that it's intact and in good working order. Ensure your card doesn't expire or that your replacement card doesn't arrive while you are away. Is your card cracked, broken or severely worn?  If needed, contact Innovation Credit Union at least 45 days prior to your trip, for a replacement card. 

Pack your MasterCard because a credit card is the safest and most reliable way to spend when you travel. MasterCard is accepted around the world and you’re protected by MasterCard Zero Liability from unauthorized transactions because of a lost or stolen card. Plus, you’ll have a detailed record of your spending when you get home.

Security Call Scams
When you have a credit card, you also have to be wary of fraudulent attempts to gain access to your credit card information.

• The fraudster caller identifies him/herself as a Visa/MasterCard fraud investigator or security representative, and states your account was flagged for unusual activity.
  
  
• The fraudster asks you to verify a purchase in a distant region for a specified amount.
  
  
• When you do not recognize the purchase, the fraudster states VISA/Mastercard will refund fraudulent purchase(s) to your account.
  
  
• The fraudster then asks for your credit card number and/or the 3 digit security code found on the back of your card – this code enables mail/phone/internet purchases.
  
  
• The caller may also try to gather other sensitive information such as date of birth or SIN, claiming the information is required to refund the supposed fraud transaction(s).
  
  
• While you wait for the fraud credit to appear on your next statement, the fraudster immediately begins using your card number to make fraudulent purchases.

Cardholders should be extremely cautious with cold calls soliciting payment information such as card number, security code, or sensitive personal information such as SIN or date of birth. Consider:

• Is it reasonable that a financial institution would solicit sensitive information that they already have on file?
  
  

Verify the legitimacy of the security call before sharing any information:

• Advise the caller you will verify their request – hang up.
• Obtain the issuer’s authentic phone number using an independent source such as the back of the card, a recent statement, or the issuer’s website.
• Ask the issuer’s fraud department if they initiated the recent security call.
  
  

If your credit card issuer confirms the call is a hoax:

• If the fraudster knew your card number, have your card cancelled and replaced.
• Ensure recent transactions are legitimate.
• Consider adding the scam phone number to a blocked caller list (inquire with phone carrier).
• Report scam attempts or financial losses to PhoneBusters: (888) 495-8501 or info@phonebusters.com or RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime Online): www.recol.ca.
  
  

If your card issuer confirms the security call was legitimate:

• Arrange having a password assigned to your account in lieu of date of birth/SIN verification.

Card Skimming
Credit card skimming is the copying of information from the magnetic strip of a credit or debit card. When scammers have "cloned" your card, they can then process transactions on your account.

Card skimming is also a form of identity theft. By stealing your personal details, they can borrow money or take out a loan in your name.

Before getting into warning signs, let's see how you fare with our skimming quiz:

When dining out, do you hand your credit card to the server and wait at the table for your receipt?
When fueling up, do you hand your card to the pump attendant and wait for your receipt in your comfy vehicle?
In an ATM lobby where two of three ATMs have 'out of order' signage, would you proceed to use your card at the third apparently functional ATM?
Would you use a merchant PIN pad terminal bearing a 'Press Hard' sticky note?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you are at a greater risk of being skimmed sooner rather than later.

Card skimming warning signs:

• A business employee takes your card out of sight to process the transaction
• You are asked to swipe your card through more than one machine
• You see the employee swipe your card through a different machine
• You notice something suspicious about the ATM card slot (like an attached device)
• You notice unusual or unauthorized transactions on your statement

Card usage best practices:

• Be alert - keep your card in your sight at all times during transactions to ensure your card is not swiped through a foreign device.
• Ensure that you keep your cards safe at all times.
• Be smart about choosing your passwords. Choose something difficult (not an anniversary or date of birth).
• Do not share your PIN number with anyone or keep a written copy of your PIN.
• Protect your PIN – shield it with your body, free hand, or both.
• Check your receipts - ensure they display the correct amount, date, time.
• Check your statements to see if you are familiar with all transactions. If there are suspicious transactions, contact Innovation Credit Union.

Debit card users are protected by the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Debit Card Services which states that innocent victims of counterfeit debit fraud will be reimbursed by their issuing financial institution.

Cash Trapping
Cash trapping is becoming a serious new threat to Automated Banking Machine (ABM) fraud around the world. It occurs when criminals place an object in the ABM's cash drawer in order to obstruct the cash that gets dispensed when cardholders make a withdrawal of funds from their bank account. The criminals then return at a later point in time to retrieve the "trapped" cash.

To pull off this scheme, criminals attach a temporary barrier across the cash dispensing slot of an ABM which prevents the cash from being dispensed. Once the cardholder leaves the machine, usually under the assumption that there is a problem with the machine, the criminal returns to the ABM to remove the cardholder's cash that is now stuck to the inside of the trapping device.

It is currently believed that only one cardholder's cash can be trapped at a given time, resulting in the criminal having to return to the machine after each attempted withdrawal. As a result, the criminal will usually remain close to the machine in order to keep it under close observation. That way, the criminal can easily retrieve the cash once the cardholder leaves.

Be on the lookout for the following:

• scratches and/or sticky residue around the cash dispensing area of the machine
• perpetrators that may be hanging around the area
• potential cardholders who may complain that the ABM is "not working"
  
  

Chip Card Security Q&A
Q: There has been media attention to recent cases of debit card fraud, including statements in the press saying that chip-enabled cards are not secure. Is this true?
A: Not all merchants have switched over to direct debit terminals that can read chips, so for the time being, debit cards have their information encored both in chips and on the older magnetic stripes. Magnetic stripe technology will no longer be accepted for Interac branded cards at automatic banking machines after Dec. 31, 2012 and at retail terminals after Dec. 31, 2015. It is important to note the magnetic stripe is what is vulnerable to skimming, not the chip. Also, chip technology only takes effect when a chip card is used at a chip enabled terminal. Cardholders are exposed to potential debit card magnetic stripe skimming at non-chip enabled tampered terminals and tampered ATMs.

Q: If my magnetic stripe is skimmed, does it mean my identity has been stolen?
A: No. The magnetic stripe only contains your card number, expiry date, and first and last name. Fraudsters cannot commit identity theft with this information alone.

Q: If information from my debit card is counterfeited to access my account illegally, am I liable for the loss?
A: No. Debit card users are protected by the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Debit Card Services which states that innocent victims of counterfeit debit fraud will be reimbursed by their issuing financial institution.

Q: What can I do to lessen the chance of debit card fraud?
A: The following card usage best practices will help you enjoy your summer travels and reduce your risk of being skimmed year round.

• Be alert - keep your card in your sight at all times during transactions to ensure your card is not swiped through a foreign device.
• Protect your PIN – shield it with your body, free hand, or both.
• Check your receipts - ensure they display the correct amount, date, time.
• Review statements regularly - report unauthorized transactions to your credit union immediately.