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Stay "Safe and Sound"
Receive text alerts directly to your phone in the case of unusual debit card activity.
How it Works
If we have your current cell phone number on file, you'll now receive a text notifying you if we detect unusual activity on your debit card. The text will contain details regarding the transaction that was flagged, including the last 4 digits of the card, dollar amount, and merchant name.
To confirm the transaction is legitimate, reply to the message with a Y and we will respond that you are safe to continue to use your debit card. To confirm the transaction is fraud, reply to the message with an N and we will secure your account and respond with instructions to contact your branch.
We will never request replies that contain account or personal information or requires you to click on a link.
Receive Fraud Alerts
Other Ways to Update Your Cell Phone Number
- Login to Online Banking and go to Profile and Preferences to update your contact information and to ensure we have your cell phone number.
- Call our Customer Contact Centre and they will be happy to update your information 902.492.6500.
- Visit one of our eight branch locations.
Opt-Out Process
When you receive a fraud alert text message, you can opt out of the alert notification service by replying to the text message, per the opt-out instructions. Once you opt out, you will no longer receive these text message alerts.
Keep Tabs on Your Online Banking Activity
Online Alerts are notifications that will keep you informed and help you monitor your online banking for certain activities.
You can select the type of activity that you want to monitor and whether you’d like to be notified by email, text message, or both. If the activity you’ve selected takes place through online banking or the CUA mobile app, you will be notified right away.
With Online Alerts, you can be notified when:
- an online banking login has occurred.
- a new bill payment vendor has been added.
- your personal access code (PAC) has been changed.
- your online banking account has been locked out after the maximum failed attempts to login or after the maximum failed attempts to answer your security question.
- there are messages awaiting your attention.
- a new Interac e-transfer recipient is added.
- a new purchase is authorized through your online banking account using Interac Online Payment.
How to set up and manage your Online Alerts:
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It’s easy! Sign into online
banking at cua.com and select Messages and Alerts from the left-hand menu. -
Select Manage Alerts Contacts to provide your mobile phone number, email address, or both.
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Select Manage Alerts and then Add a New Alert to choose the activities you would like us to notify you about.
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You’re all set! Log in anytime to add or remove your Online Alerts.
What if I am alerted to suspicious activity?
We’re here to help. Contact our Customer Contact Centre at 902.492.6500 and a member of our team will happily review your account activity with you.
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Do not open emails or attachments from people or email addresses you do not recognize.
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Protect your computer with an anti-virus software (ex. Norton Internet Security, MacAfee, etc).
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Perform a full security scan of your computer at least once per week.
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Secure your home wireless network by setting up a password and pin key in order to access your internet, and take extra precaution when you’re in public spaces using open networks.
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Use unique passwords on your accounts that would be difficult for someone to guess (ex. Use a combination of letters, numbers and unique symbols). Change them every few months to increase security.
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Do not reveal your PIN code or passwords to anyone, including employees of CUA, family members and friends. If you suspect your PIN may be known by another individual change it immediately at a branch or credit union ATM.
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Do not give out personal information over the phone, through email or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact and know who you're dealing with. Do not include personal information in regular, unencrypted email or enter it on an unencrypted website as your information will not be secure.
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Be cautious when discarding personal financial information. Be sure to shred receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, etc.
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Check each of your credit card statements so that you can spot any suspicious charges and report them immediately to your credit card company.
Identity theft is a growing concern for Canadians.
There are ways that you can be proactive in protecting yourself and your loved ones from this criminal activity. The Consumer Measures Committee has a public, government-sponsored site which has useful information on how to prevent identity theft and what to do if you become a victim of such a crime. Remember to be suspicious of anyone who contacts you by any means and requests personal information such as account numbers, credit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PIN) or passwords. Remember to protect these numbers and passwords when using them in public places.
There are several ongoing scams related to individuals misrepresenting themselves as representatives of Canada Revenue Agency.
Some members have received calls indicating they owe additional taxes and must make immediate payment with a credit card over the phone or risk having the police called. Other members have reported receiving notices stating they are receiving additional income tax refund from CRA by way of an email money transfer. The email money transfer alerts have been received through both email and text message.
CUA would like to advise members that the Canada Revenue Agency would not notify you of taxes owing by phone and refunds would never be issued via email money transfer. If you receive either type of communication please hang up the phone or delete the message right away. Some email and text communications have begun with the salutation “Dear Credit Union Client”, however CUA would like to assure members that there has been no exposure of your relationship with CUA or any other credit union. Messages received by our members have referenced other financial institutions with whom they do not have a relationship as well. Any reference to the credit union is purely coincidental and is designed to enhance the apparent legitimacy of the communication.
An overpayment scam is a type of fraud where the person receiving the cheque is actually owed money for goods sold.
The seller of an item receives a counterfeit cheque or money order from the purchaser in an amount that is in excess of the amount owed. The seller is then asked to deposit the cheque and wire the excess funds immediately back to the sender/purchaser or the purchaser's agent or shipper. The deposited cheque is subsequently returned as counterfeit and charged back to the seller's account. To protect yourself against this sort of scam, never agree to a deal in which the payer wishes to issue an amount for more than the agreed price and expects you to reimburse the balance. The scammers use a variety of excuses to explain the overpayment, but any such excuse should be treated with the utmost suspicion. Contact your local law enforcement office if you suspect such a scam is taking place.
Phishing emails are unsolicited emails designed to prompt the recipient to provide vital personal and/or banking information to the sender.
The email may indicate a need to update a personal profile, reactivate an account which has been locked for security purposes, or promises some kind of return for providing the information such as a prize or entry in a draw.
If you receive suspicious emails that claim to be from CUA, please do not send any funds or share personal information. Please forward the email to our team at alerts@cua.com so we can report the fraud.
Example of phishing email:
Subject: Emergency Help...!!
Greetings!! I just arrived in Istanbul Turkey and I am in a Fix. Unfortunately for me I got robbed at the hotel where I was lodge. All cash, Credit card and cellphones were stolen by robbers, it was so traumatic, Thank God I have my life and passport saved, and The Embassy only cleared me of my traveling documents since I came in on unofficial purposes.
My flight leaves in few hours from now but I am having problems sorting the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let me leave until I settle the bills which is €1,600 Euro convert to US Dollar is ($2,100). Please can I get a loan of $2100 USD or whatever amount if not all. You'll have it as soon as I get back. It's really urgent, please get back to me asap if you can. I will advise on how you can get it to me.
Best Regard.
In the past, members have reported suspicious e-transfers being processed on their account.
Further investigation revealed that the members’ computers were infected with a Key Logging Virus which captured their online banking login information and transmitted it to a third party who was then able to access their account. A key logging virus is often loaded onto your computer by opening an attachment in an email. This can be prevented by installing an anti-virus software program such as Norton Internet Security or MacAfee. We would like to assure you that our online banking site is safe and secure.
Caller ID Spoofing is a tool used by fraudsters to mislead people into thinking the call is from a reputable business or person.
Phone scammers use software to mask their real identities by displaying a fake telephone number. CUA has recently become aware that one of our internal phone numbers 902.492.6516 has been used in one of these spoofs. It is unclear at this time if the callers are representing themselves as CUA employees but we would like to remind our members of the following best practices:
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CUA and its partners never contact members to request personal or account information. If you receive such an email or a similar inquiry by phone, do not disclose your personal information and please report to us so we can investigate the issue.
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Do not give out personal information over the phone, through email or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact and know who you're dealing with. Do not include personal information in regular, unencrypted email or enter it on an unencrypted website as your information will not be secure.
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If you ever receive a call regarding your account and you are unsure of whether or not you are speaking to a CUA employee, please get the name of the individual and ask to call them back. You can contact us at 902.492.6500 and one of our Customer Contact Centre representatives will be happy to confirm the validity of the call and direct you back to the employee you were speaking with.
Questions?
Review our FAQ below, contact our team by phone 902.492.6500, info@cua.com or by visiting one of our eight convenient branch locations. Do you have questions that aren't here? Let us know! We're here to help.
Q) How does skimming work?
A) In debit card skimming, card information is stolen from the magnetic stripe, along with the personal access number (PIN). Criminals then replicate the cards and withdraw money in sprees at locations, usually where chip technology is not used. Skimming is not specific to any one financial institution's debit cards: it is specific to where consumers use their debit card and can affect credit union members and customers of banks and other financial institutions.
Q) How are CUA members protected from this?
A) Credit union debit cards have chip technology that helps enhance the security of transactions and chip technology has drastically reduced the incidence of skimming, but not eliminated it entirely.
To mitigate the potential to be victimized by skimming or other types of card fraud, consumers can protect themselves by regularly changing their personal identification number (PIN). Also, if a point-of-sale or ATM device appears to have been tampered with, the best advice is to avoid using it.
Q) If my card has been canceled, does it mean someone has already stolen money from my account?
A) No. The vast majority of the cancelled cards are being cancelled as a precautionary measure to prevent any loss. There is the potential that some people are directly affected and money has been stolen from their account. It is important that you check your account to ensure there isn’t any unauthorized withdrawal. If you find anything, contact us immediately.
Q) Are members out of pocket for any losses from this?
A) No. Credit union members who had funds illegally withdrawn from their accounts due to this fraudulent activity will be fully reimbursed for their losses.