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Fraud Prevention

The fight against fraud starts with you.

We care about your financial wellbeing and want to ensure that you're protected against fraudulent activities and scams through education and awareness. Here you'll find aids on reporting fraud, tips to protect yourself, and how at ACU, we're committed to protecting your privacy and security.

Have you been scammed? Report it

Follow this guide of what to do if you become a victim of fraud. Fraud needs to be reported to prevent future scams and fraud. 
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Tips on how to protect yourself

Here are tips to protect you from becoming a victim of a scam or fraud. 
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Learn how ACU helps you bank safer

We are committed to protecting our members by providing education and awareness of frauds and scams. 
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How to report if you’ve become a victim of fraud

What to do if you become a victim of fraud, or are aware of a scam.

Many scams may breach consumer protection laws (those enforced by the Competition Bureau, other government and law enforcement agencies) and may also breach the fraud provisions of the Criminal Code.

Fraud needs to be reported, even if they didn't scam you. The Competition Bureau of Canada outlines how to report frauds and scams.

If you are a victim of a scam or fraud and have suffered property or monetary loss, contact the Winnipeg Police Service at 204-986-6222 to report email and SMS spam. See Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation page and check the Spam Reporting Centre link.

Six tips on how to protect yourself from fraud

Passwords aren't meant to be shared, either on purpose or through carelessness. Download a password manager app to your smartphone to keep your passwords safe. If you've written them down, lock them away. Even better — don't write them down at all.
A strong password provides essential protection from financial fraud and identity theft. One of the most common ways that hackers break into computers is by guessing passwords. Simple and commonly used passwords enable intruders to easily gain access and control of your computer.

If you need help creating a strong password, there are password generator apps and sites online that can help you do this.
Don't expect your recycling boxes or garbage bin to hide your personal information. Use a paper shredder or some other means to safely dispose of your personal data.

Wi-Fi is one way fraudsters can steal your identity. To protect yourself, disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not using it. When you leave your device open by default, your data is vulnerable to access by others without your knowledge or consent whenever you pass through cafés and other places offering open, public wireless networks.

You may already be aware of how fraudsters work, but new methods show up all the time. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is an excellent resource to help you stay updated on the latest frauds occurring in Canada. They also provide a helpful list on how to recognize a fraud attempt.
Most smartphones include options to secure its access, like 2-factor authentication, biometric authentication, screen lock, and for android user’s phone encryption which can be found under settings, under security.

If you do lose your phone, take immediate action. To learn how, read our blog article.
When you’re online, only download programs and applications from trusted sources that inspect and verify your downloads for viruses.

How ACU helps you bank safer

We have policies and practices in place to safeguard and maintain the accuracy and security of information we collect. ACU meets or exceeds all privacy standards established by industry guidelines, provincial legislation, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and all other applicable laws.

To learn what measures we take to protect your privacy, see safeguarding your personal information.

All forms on our website are encrypted, so no information can be intercepted as the form is transmitted to us.

Email encryption involves encrypting, or disguising, the content of email messages in order to protect potentially sensitive information, including personal or financial details, from being read by anyone other than intended recipients.

When you use online banking, we activate security features that ensure you can conduct your banking in a safe and private online environment. See internet security for details.

This feature helps protect our websites from spam and abuse by presenting you with a test upon digitally logging in to your bank account. It is designed to tell human and bots apart.

If you bank online, you can set up alerts that notify you by email or text message when there is unauthorized access or activity on your accounts. This is an excellent way to make sure your account is safe and secure.

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