Resources
Making things easier for you to achieve your goals by offering resources, workshops, and more to assist you along your financial journey.
Making things easier for you to achieve your goals by offering resources, workshops, and more to assist you along your financial journey.
In order to protect you from identity theft and fraud, we have added the following guidelines and resources to ensure you have the tools to safeguard and secure your personal information.
Catch up on Fighting Fraud Friday’s email and tips!
> Elder Abuse Awareness Day – June 15th
> Keep Scammers out of your Summer Plans.
> “Hi Mom” and “Hi Dad” Text Scams
> Spring Cleaning? Stay smart while selling online
> 5 Essential Fraud Prevention Tips
> Spotting the Signs of a Scam
Latest Fighting Fraud Friday Tips:
Help Protect Maine’s Seniors from Financial Abuse
At New Dimensions FCU, we’re committed to protecting the well-being of our members—especially our older community. June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a national call to action to raise awareness and prevent the exploitation of older individuals.
One of the most common and devastating forms of elder abuse is financial exploitation—when someone misuses or steals an older person’s assets for their own personal gain. From phone scams to deceptive caretakers, elder financial abuse is alarmingly prevalent and often goes unreported.
Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country, so this issue is especially critical for our communities.
Warning signs may include:
Recognizing the signs is the first step toward preventing abuse. Read more HERE!
Can you spot the signs of a scam? Here are some of the most common scams facing credit union members today:
Office of the Maine Attorney General: https://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/scams.shtml
MyCreditUnion.Gov:
https://mycreditunion.gov/fraud-prevention-center
Four Ways to Protect Yourself from Phishing
Multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of protection against scammers in the instance that they gain access to your username and password.
Ensure that the time you spend online and on your mobile phone is safe and secured:
Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen personal information, including your Social Security number, to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund.
If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must file a paper return.
You may not know you’re a victim of identity theft until you’re notified by the IRS of a possible issue with your return.
Be alert to possible tax-related identity theft if:
You can take steps if your Social Security number or other personal information is compromised.
If your Social Security number is compromised and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends these actions:
See Identity Theft Victim Assistance: How It Works for more information about how the IRS can help you.
If you previously contacted the IRS and did not have a resolution, contact them for specialized assistance at 800-908-4490. They have teams standing by to help you.
Fraudulent Returns
If you believe someone has filed a fraudulent return in your name, you can get a copy of the return. See Instructions for Requesting a Copy of Fraudulent Returns.
Dependents
If you e-file your tax return and get a message telling you that a dependent on your return has been claimed on another tax return or their own, or if you receive an IRS Notice CP87A, you’ll need to find out why someone else claimed your dependent. Learn more at What to Do When Someone Fraudulently Claims Your Dependent.
Learn more about fraud and how you can protect yourself and your family here:
IdentityTheft.gov
Scams and Identity Theft | consumer.gov
Tax Fraud Alerts | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
Maine State Treasurer Henry Beck – There Are Steps We Can All Take to Fight Fraud:
https://www.centralmaine.com/2023/08/24/maine-state-treasurer-henry-beck-there-are-steps-we-can-all-take-to-fight-fraud/
Identity Theft Prevention:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/identity-theft-prevention/
Fraud Prevention Tips and Tricks:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/fraud-prevention-tips-and-tricks/
Staying Safe at ATMs and Beyond:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/staying-safe-at-atms-beyond/
Synthetic Identity Fraud:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/what-you-should-know-about-synthetic-identity-fraud/
Bereavement Scams:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/bereavement-scams/
Mobile Payment App Scams:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/mobile-payment-app-scams/
Preventing Tax Identity Theft:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/preventing-tax-identity-theft/
Protecting Accounts With Two-Factor Authentication: https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/protecting-accounts-with-two-factor-authentication/
Social Engineering Scams:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/the-risks-of-participating-in-social-media-quizzes-or-games/
Responding to Elder Financial Abuse:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/four-ways-to-respond-to-financial-elder-abuse/
Preventing Elder Financial Abuse:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/preventing-financial-elder-abuse/
What You Should Remove From Your Wallet:
https://mainecreditunions.org/financial-literacy-blog/what-you-should-remove-from-your-wallet/
Member Scam Alert:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/new-member-scam-alert/
Be Aware of the Signs of Social Engineering Fraud:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/be-awareof-the-signs-of-social-engineering-fraud/
Fraud Alert – Phishing Scam:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/fraud-alert-phishing-scam/
Keeping an Eye Out for Shared Branching Fraud:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/keeping-an-eye-out-for-shared-branching-fraud/
Deceiving Mailers May be Tricking Credit Union Members:
https://mainecul.org/weekly_update_story/deceiving-mailers-may-be-tricking-credit-union-members/