Alerts

We are aware of a texting, and or email scam that has been received by members and non-members of United Police Federal Credit Union. This is a scam. If you receive a text or email request – DELETE IT- DO NOT CALL THE PHONE NUMBER PROVIDED.

Unite Police Federal Credit Union, the NCUA or any other credit union affiliate will never contact you by email, text or phone requesting that you provide personal information via email, directing you to visit another site or asking you to leave information on a recording. If you have any doubts simply contact the Credit Union during our regular business hours.

January 19, 2018

Dear Member:

As of February 16, 2018 United Police Federal Credit Union will convert our Mastercard® Credit Card Program to a Visa® Credit Card Program. You will receive a new card in the mail the week of February 12, 2018. Please activate this card on or after February 19, 2018 and destroy your old one. Your old card number will stop working as of February 19, 2018 so please be sure to activate your new card on this date. You will also need to notify any merchants or bill pay processors of your new card number to ensure uninterrupted recurring or payment activity.
Your new credit card will remain at the same interest rate, no annual fee, and a 25-day grace period.

Effective February 19, 2018 the payment address for your United Police FCU Visa® credit card will be as follows:

United Police FCU/Visa
PO Box 4521
Carol Stream, IL 60197-4521

Please update this address if you use a bill pay system. Sending payments to the old/incorrect address may result in payment delays and possible late fees.

Also effective February 19, 2018
New customer service phones numbers will be as follows:
Customer Service: 1-800-322-8472
Lost/Stolen card reporting: 1-800-325-3678
You may continue to make payments at www.ezcardinfo.com, by mail, or either United Police Federal Credit Union location.

If you have any questions, please contact our offices at 305-329-1400.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Orama
President/CEO

Should You Pay for Credit Repair Services? Probably Not.

Call it a coincidence. Call it savvy marketing. Whatever you call it, there always seems to be a spike in credit repair advertisements around the time the first Christmas shopping bills arrive. Maybe you’re staring wide-eyed at a balance that’s higher than you expected, wondering how you’re even going to keep up with the minimum payments. This kind of uncertainty can set the stage for bad decisions. So, before you scramble and sign-up for credit repair services, take a deep breath and realize you have more control than you think.

Risk vs. Reward: Is credit repair worth the cost?

It’s important to remember that some credit repair services are legitimate businesses, able to follow through on their claims. Unfortunately, the reputable companies reside in a corporate landscape littered with scam artists and opportunists. If you’re willing to devote enough time and research, it’s possible to separate the upstanding services from the scams, but as NerdWallet columnist Liz Weston points out, “If you’re able to do that kind of research, then you can certainly figure out credit repair and do it yourself.”

While the trustworthy credit repair companies aren’t necessarily too good to be true, there’s a good chance they’re too costly to be worth it. When you consider that many of these services charge monthly fees ranging from $30-$100, the boost in your credit rating may not justify the ongoing expense.

Facing credit challenges? Your credit union can help.

Good credit isn’t the result of tricks and trade secrets. It’s established by applying solid financial habits over time. The same holds true for credit repair. While it there may be some additional steps required to clean up your credit report, rebuilding good credit requires a consistent commitment to responsible money management.

Credit unions exist to ensure the financial success of their members. Educating people on proper credit management is part of that mission. If you’re drowning in debt and struggling to regain your financial footing, your credit union could be the lifeline you’re looking for. While they may not advertise it, many credit unions offer free credit counseling for their members. Discussing your current challenges with one of the credit union’s representatives can be the first step towards putting those struggles behind you.

Repairing damaged credit is no walk in the park. But with a little hard work and dedication and the guidance of your credit union’s financial professionals, you can be on the way to reclaiming the good credit you deserve.

According to NBC News, last year a record 15.4 million Americans experienced financial fraud with stolen account information. That figure is up 16 percent from 2015. With the rise in identity theft and the recent Equifax data breach, it is important that you do everything possible to safeguard your important information.

Check out these links for tips on how to protect yourself.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/identity-theft

What happened?

Equifax revealed on September 7 that hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in the company’s website in order to access personal information, including names, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, address histories, birth dates and driver's license numbers for as many as 143 million Americans.

The breach took place from approximately mid-May through the end of July.

Equifax has established a website for consumers where they can check to see if their personal information was potentially compromised as a result of this breach. Or you can call 1-866-477-7559 for more information.

What do I need to do?

As a consumer, be diligent about checking and monitoring your credit reports. Every American can pull a free credit report once a year from all three credit bureaus by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Experts recommend pulling your credit report from one bureau every 4 months in order to get a regular check on what is being reported and potentially spot any errors.

Exercise caution when clicking on links and/or downloading attachments from suspicious emails that claim to be updates from Equifax or connected to the breach.

Change your passwords, especially if you use similar passwords or security questions on multiple accounts.

Enable two-factor authentication, which will help keep hackers from accessing your accounts by sending a text message or call to you with a code to verify.

Review and monitor your credit card accounts and bank accounts, as well as hotel and airline loyalty programs for any suspicious activity.

In extreme cases, for consumers who have repeatedly fallen victim to identity theft, they can request a change to their Social Security number. The strongest possible option is to place a credit freeze on credit files with the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). However, this will lock down a consumer’s information, making it completely impossible to open new accounts and bank cards in their name.

On June 2, 2017 United Police Federal Credit Union was notified of a potential compromise to our Visa debit cards. The entity, Kmart (Sears Holding Company) has disclosed the incident on their website. http://www.kmart.com/en_us/dap/statement05312017.html

UPFCU immediately stepped into action and has notified those members who cards may have been affected. As always, if you notice something suspicious about your account, please notify us immediately.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our membership. Rest assured we are looking for a viable solution to safe guard our member’s assets as well as your credit union and at the same time minimize the time frame for card reissues.

Management Team