Stolen/Lost Credit Card Information and Tips

Stolen/Lost ATM or Debit Card Information and Tips

Card Security: Protecting Your Cards and Preventing Loss and Fraud

Lost or Stolen EFCU Visa card?

To report a lost or stolen card 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 800-449-7728

When you lose your credit card:

• Report the theft immediately to the card issuer. The amount you can be held responsible for depends on how quickly you report the loss to the card issuer.
• It's a good idea to follow up the phone call with a letter--ask the representative where you should send such a letter. Include the account number, when you noticed your card was missing, and the date your reported the loss.
• If you have payment of the credit card set up as an automatic payment from a financial institution, notify that institution (if it is someone other than the issuer).
• Notify all merchants with whom you've set up automatic bill payments (utilities, gyms, etc.) that the card has been stolen. You'll have to reestablish the payments with a new card, and you may need to make a payment before that is set up.
• Continue to monitor the activity on the stolen card. If they show any unauthorized charges after you reported the stolen/lost card, send a letter to the card issuer decribing each questionable charge and telling them when you reported the card stolen/lost.

For tips on Preventing Stolen Credit Cards and Fraud, click here.

Lost your eCash ATM or eCheck Debit card?

Monday through Friday, 8:00 - 4:00 pm: Call EFCU at 800-223-2177 or 301-670-1300, option 3.

Holidays, weekends, or after hours: Call 800-472-3272

When you lose your ATM or Debit card:

• Report the theft immediately to the card issuer. The amount you can be held responsible for depends on how quickly you report the loss to the card issuer.
• It's a good idea to follow up the phone call with a letter--ask the representative where you should send such a letter. Include the account number, when you noticed your card was missing, and the date your reported the loss.
• If possible, transfer any money available through the card to a safe place--if you have a joint account with a spouse, you can transfer it there or ask a representative to open an Accumulator Savings Account on your current account. This particular subaccount cannot be accessed via ATM or Debit cards.
• Continue to monitor the activity on your account through eBranch or Powerline. If you see any more unauthorized activity after you reported the stolen/lost card, send a letter to the card issuer decribing each questionable charge and telling them when you reported the card stolen/lost.

For tips on Preventing Stolen ATM and Debit Cards and Fraud, click here.

Card Security: Protecting Your Cards and Yourself
Preventing Loss and Fraud

The best protection against card fraud is to know where your cards are at all times and to keep them secure. For ATM & Debit card protection, it's important to keep your Personal Identification Number (PIN) a secret. Don't use your address, birth date, phone or social security number for a PIN. Memorize the number. Statistics show that in one-third of ATM card frauds, cardholders wrote their PINS on their ATM cards or on slips of paper kept with their cards. The following are some suggestions for keeping your cards safe.

For Credit Cards:

• Be cautious about disclosing your account number over the phone unless you know you are dealing with a reputable company.
• Never put your account number on the outside of an envelope or on a postcard.
• Draw a line through blank spaces on charge slips above the total so the amount cannot be changed.
• Don't sign a blank charge slip.
• Save your receipts to check against your monthly billing statements.
• Open billing statements promptly and compare them with your receipts. Report mistakes or discrepancies as soon as possible to the special address listed on your statement for "billing inquiries." Under the FCBA, the card issuer must investigate billing errors reported to them within 60 days of the date your statement was mailed to you.
• Keep a record - in a safe place separate from your cards - of your account numbers, expiration dates, and the telephone numbers of each card issuer so you can report a loss quickly.
• Carry only those cards that you anticipate you'll need.
• Cut up or shred old cards so that the account number cannot be recognized.
• Activate and sign your new cards as soon as possible. See more on this.

For ATM cards:

• Prepare your transaction (have card out, deposit slip filled out, etc.) before you approach the ATM to minimize the time spent at the machine.
• Do not display your cash; retrieve your card and receipt immediately. Verify the cash when you can safely do so.
• Save your receipt and match it to your statement.
• Do not accept assistance from strangers when using an ATM.
• Be aware of your surroundings before, during and after the completion of your transaction.
• If the ATM is obstructed or it has poor lighting, go to another ATM.
• Consider taking another person with you to the ATM, especially late at night.
• Does the ATM appear to have been altered (attachments to card slot, key pad, brochure box, etc.)? If so, use another ATM.
• Does anything or anyone look suspicious? If so, do not use the ATM, cancel your transaction and go to another ATM.
• Protect the information on your card and your Personal Identification Number (PIN) by standing between the ATM and anyone who is waiting to use the machine.
• Keep your PIN a secret.
• Do not lend your ATM card to anyone.
• Immediately report a lost or stolen card.

• Car doors should be locked, windows rolled up and your automobile engine running while waiting to use a drive-up ATM.
• Leave enough room between you and the car in front of you to exit should the need arise.
• If anything appears suspicious, cancel the transaction and immediately drive away.
• If you are followed when leaving the ATM, drive to the nearest crowded, well-lit location and call the police.

• Do not allow a cashier or anyone else to enter your PIN for you.
• Block anyone else from viewing your PIN when using a POS terminal.
• Review the receipt before leaving, and be sure you have your card.
• If you request cash back, immediately put it away before leaving.
• If using a POS terminal outside, such as a gas station, be observant of your surroundings before making the transaction.
• If it is late at night, take another person with you when using an outdoor POS terminal.
• If someone appears suspicious, leave and go to another POS terminal.
• If you feel you have been followed after making a POS transaction, drive to a crowded, well-lit area, fire station or police department. Flash your lights and blow your horn to bring attention to you.
• If you are involved in a robbery situation while using your card, do not resist. Give the money to the suspect immediately.

Buying a Registration Service
For an annual fee of $10 to $35, companies will notify the issuers of your credit and ATM accounts if your card is lost or stolen. This service allows you to make only one phone call to report all card losses rather than calling individual issuers. Most services also will request replacement cards on your behalf.

Purchasing a card registration service may be convenient, but it's not required. The FCBA and the EFTA give you the right to contact your card issuers directly in the event of a loss or suspected unauthorized use.

If you decide to buy a registration service, compare offers. Carefully read the contract to determine the company's obligations and your liability. For example, will the company reimburse you if it fails to notify card issuers promptly once you've called in the loss to the service? If not, you could be liable for unauthorized charges.

Periodically Check Your Account Online

Here at EFCU, you can check the activity of all of your EFCU cards through eBranch. You can check your ATM and Debit card activity by viewing your savings and checking accounts. You may also log on through Visa e-Statements to view recent Visa activity. You want to report any problems or transactions that you did not make as soon as possible, and make your funds inaccessible.

For more information on Lost and Stolen cards or fraud prevention, go to the Federal Trade Commission's site for Identity Theft.

Signatures on the Back of Your Cards Are Required
Cardholders that present to merchants plastics with "See ID" or other language on the signature panel are not protecting themselves against potential fraud. In fact, by not signing the card, the cardholder forfeits the fraud protection provided by the tamper-resistant signature panel, since the merchant cannot compare the signature of the authorized cardholder as it appears on the card to the signature of the person signing the transaction.

Lack of signature also renders the card invalid. Merchants may still choose to accept unsigned cards by following acceptance procedures that reduce the risk of fraud. However, this can cause delays, confusion and ultimately servicing issues.

• Activate and sign the card as soon as possible.
• Immediately report the loss or theft of a card.
• Memorize the personal identification number (PIN), and never carry the PIN with the card.