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Adjusted Dividend Rates
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Country Federal Credit Union has adjusted a majority of its dividend
rates to meet the competition. Dividends on Share Accounts are posted to your account
at the end of each month and are available to you the following day. All dividend
rates are subject to change without notice. Be sure to give us a call for the latest
rates, or click here to view our current rates online. |
Important Information
Fraudulent Checks - How to Protect Yourself
According to a secular website for the prevention of check fraud, fraudulent
checks were written in the amount of $20 billion in 2003, including more than 500
million forged checks. Fraud is the second largest Corporate Crime in America today.
Financial Analysts also have predicted that the problem will most likely increase
2.5% every year forward.
Those are appalling statistics, and though they are not desirable by any means,
they help financial institutions to realize the importance of being alert when handling
deposits and cashing checks. We certainly do not want to fall into that constantly
growing 2.5%!
Country Federal Credit Union has a number of procedures and services already in
place to help in defending against this nefarious crime. However, as you can imagine,
just as often as technology is created, criminals will find ways to circumvent those
innovations.
It has come to our attention that there are some fraudulent checks that are being
sent out across the country that have our name and information as the Drawer (or
financial institution representing the check). The checks are marked as “Cashier’s
Checks” and even have a verification phone number on the front. THESE CHECKS, HOWEVER,
ARE FRAUDULENT! They will not be good when presented and will only result in the
innocent person losing money. We certainly want everyone to be wary of such checks.
How Can I Tell That The Check I Received Is Fraudulent?
Obviously, all of our Cashier’s Checks are not fraudulent. Therefore, there would
have to be some distinguishing marks between the “true” checks and the “false” checks,
much like when dealing with counterfeit money. Fortunately, there are some tell-tale
signs that the check you received is good or not. For the sake of security, we prefer
not to openly post the signs in this article. However, all of our employees are
knowledgeable about the scheme and have been alerted to the signs between the good
checks and the fraudulent ones. Calling our Home Branch number of (904) 259-6702
will put you in touch with our employees, who will be more than happy to help you.
We recommend calling us, but if your circumstances prefer, we can be reached via
email at cfcu@countryfcu.com. Emails to
our general box are answered within 24 hours during the week, or first thing on
Monday after a weekend. The above-mentioned article stated that the average complex
Check Fraud Scheme can take 18 months even to detect and locate! Certainly, having
an early detection like we had will help us to put this organized group out of the
criminal activity world. We ask for your patience and thank you for your help in
tackling this growing problem in our nation.
"Phishing" Scams - The Danger
"Phishing" occurs when an individual attempts to fraudulently acquire
information through electronic correspondence. Such individuals may often times
mask themselves with a seemingly official email address or screen name. The scam
generally involves a person being warned that his/her bank account, credit card
account, or other type of financial service has a problem, or possibly that the
"company" needs to verify sensitive information respecting the above services. Many
times, the sender of the email will require that the person follow an internet link
to an official-looking website. However, the sole purpose of any Phishing scam artist
is to gain important information from an individual and then use that information
to access and steal funds or other resources.
How to Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams
Here are a few tips to help avoid being "hooked" by Phishing Scams:
- Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.
This includes User IDs, passwords, Account or Social Security Numbers, etc.
- If the email seems suspicious, don't follow any links in it. Rather, look up the
number to the company and speak directly with a representative.
- Ensure you are on a "secure server" before sending sensitive information. At the
address bar at the top, a secure server starts with https:// (not just http://)
- Regularly check your financial statements to make sure all of your transactions
are legitimate. Report any fraudulent activity.
Country Federal Credit Union has NO provisions for emailing any of our
members for sensitive information. If you receive an email that seems to be from
our institution and is asking you for your account number or other sensitive information,
DO NOT GIVE IT! Please contact us at 904-259-6702 so that we may
investigate it immediately. The security and privacy of our members are of utmost
importance to us.
Community Corner
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Holiday Closures
We will be closed for business on the following holidays:
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President's Day
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Monday, February 18
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Memorial Day
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Monday, May 26
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Independence Day
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Friday, July 4
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Remember!
You can view your accounts through our Home Banking system
24/7, even when we're closed!
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