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The holiday season is typically about friends, family, food and shopping! Unfortunately, while you're looking for holiday deals, the bad guys are looking for ways to scam you any way they can. Due to an increase in online shopping in 2020 and 2021, card not present fraud has grown exponentially. One in five Americans are now using payment applications such as Zelle, Venmo and PayPal, and fraud in this space was up 300% this summer. Additionally, social media quizzes and challenges allow for account security question answers to be easily guessed by fraudsters.

Here is an easy way to remember 5 best practices to avoid fraud:

1. Friends and family only: This is the crucial rule of thumb for using person-to-person payment apps. The likelihood of information and money being stolen goes up drastically when your member uses payment apps outside of friends and family. Also, be careful not to overshare on social media. Consider anything you post to be public information. If you receive a holiday greeting card in your inbox, verify the sender before clicking the link to view the card.
2. Remember to use the alert features for your online accounts. This creates layers of protection for your information's security. Use options like text message alerts if a transaction occurs outside your typical radius, card not present or a withdrawal has been made. Keep an eye on the activity in your accounts.
3. Authentication: The layers of authentication are ever so critical and can include:
   • Multi-factor authentication
   • Biometrics
   • Setting strong, unique passwords and usernames
4. Update your devices to help ensure there are the latest security patches. Be suspicious of emails you receive about online purchases. Check the status of your order directly on the website you purchased from so you don't accidentally click on malware.
5. Dollar limits: Limiting the daily dollars spent on credit and debit cards and capping the number of transactions are two significant risk mitigation tools.

Be aware of popular text messaging scams:

• Do not click on fraudulent text message links regarding "your package" or "delivery" claiming to be from USPS, UPS or FedEx. Instead visit the website of the company you ordered from to check the delivery status.
• Fraudulent text messages such as "you still haven't claimed your phone worth $1200" or "you have been approved for a loan of $4500" have been popular. Avoid clicking on these text messages, which often try to convey a sense of urgency like "today only" or "in the next 24 hours."

We are excited about our new Video Tellers. Simply touch the screen to activate the Video Teller and one of our friendly EFCU tellers will greet you to assist you with your transactions. Video Tellers are available during normal drive up hours, please have your photo ID ready. Video Tellers also operate as ATMs 24/7 using your EFCU ATM or Debit card.

Special promotion now through December 30th
If you haven't used a Video Teller, now is a great time to try it! A Video Teller is an ATM that allows you to speak to a live person - just like you would inside a branch. When you use a Video Teller to speak to a live EFCU teller and complete a transaction, you'll be automatically entered to win $100! Two winners will be randomly selected every week through December 30. Rules and details

Every year scammers add new twists to well-known tax-related scams and 2020 is no exception.

Taxpayers should remember that the IRS generally first mails a bill to a taxpayer who owes taxes. There are special circumstances when the IRS will call or come to a home or business.

Click the links below to visit IRS.gov for more tips to help you spot email phishing scams and phone scams and avoid becoming a victim.