Security Articles

Protect Your Information
When you contact Belco, our staff may ask for certain information in order to verify your identity. However, Belco will never initiate contact with you and ask you for your account number, Social Security number, date of birth, or any other personally identifiable information. While there are situations in which we may need to contact you regarding your account, we will not ask you to provide sensitive information. If you receive an email, phone call, or other contact purporting to come from Belco that asks for personally identifiable information, it is likely a phishing scam.

What can I do to protect my information?

When Contacting Belco

• Be suspicious of any off-hours phone calls.
  Belco’s call centers operate from 9am. until 5pm. Monday through Thursday, 9am-6pm Friday and Saturday from 9am. until 1pm. Belco will also do a “call night” in which Belco staff will reach out to members to promote a new product or service. Please take any steps necessary to confirm the identity of the person but if you have any doubts, hang up immediately and call Belco’s main number to verify the person is a Belco employee.
• Verify phone numbers before calling.
  Remember to call Belco using only telephone numbers published in verified sources, such as your monthly statement or pages within our website.
• Never open emails from unknown sources.
  Delete any suspicious emails.
• Be careful accessing our website using links provided through email.
  When attempting to access the main page on Belco’s website, make sure that http://www.belco.org/ or https://www.netteller.com/ appears in your address bar.

When Browsing the Internet

• Use strong passwords for all of your online accounts.
  At a minimum, Belco recommends that your passwords be eight characters long, and use upper and lower case alphanumeric characters. Your passwords should not include any word found in the dictionary, and should not be something that anyone else would be able to guess. Do not use the same password you use for online banking for any other account.
• Only download software and conduct online shopping on known and trusted websites.
  Your PC can be infected with malware just by visiting a malicious website.
• Verify website security certificates.Belco maintains current website security certificates.
  When attempting to access https://www.netteller.com/Belco, please click on the padlock symbol in the address bar to verify that the certificate is valid and owned by Jack Henry and Associates.

When Disposing of Documents or Devices

• Shred physical documents that contain your personal information before throwing them in the trash.
  Thieves can use the information found to assume your identity. At a minimum, you should use a cross-cut shredder that cuts paper horizontally and vertically, making it more difficult to reassemble the pieces.
• Dispose of devices properly.
  Before discarding your personal computer, portable storage devices, or mobile phones, you need to be sure that the data contained on the device has been erased or “wiped.” Read/writable media (including your hard drive) should be “wiped” using Department of Defense (DOD) compliant software. Mobile devices should be factory reset to wipe all information. Please review your owners manual for instructions to reset your device.

Secure your PC

• Ensure that you have antivirus software and that is up to date.
  You can review a list of security software tools to find the right solution for you.
• Enable the personal firewall provided by your computer or Internet Service Provider.
• Download the latest security updates from your operating system, as well as any additional software installed after the original purchase.

What should you do if you suspect fraud?

If you receive a call, text, email or any other contact purporting to be Belco that asks for personally identifiable information, please contact Belco’s Risk Management Department at 800-642-4482. At the menu prompt, enter extension 6200 opt. 3 for card fraud, or 7022 for all other fraud.

If you are unsure whether the contact may be legitimate, please verify by contacting the credit union using the number provided above.

If you are a victim of identity theft, you can follow the FTC’s guidelines to recover from identity theft. These steps can help prevent criminals from fraudulently using your stolen information to access your accounts, obtain new credit, or perform other criminal activities.