Online Banking Security

Protecting your personal financial information is extremely important to Consumers Credit Union.   We understand that your Online Banking experience should easy and convenient, but also safe and secure.

Our entire site now uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.  When you log into our site with your username and password, the information is transmitted via a secure session that is established between your browser and our systems. Your information is encrypted, and sent to our systems for authentication into Online Banking. Please note that Consumers Credit Union never transmits your information without it being encrypted first.   Please update your bookmarks and favorites to point to https://www.myconsumers.org.

In addition, we regularly have experts on Internet security test the security of our systems. We have designed our site to meet the highest industry standards for secure transactions, while maintaining high availability.

What can you do to safeguard your information?
There are important steps you must take to protect the security of your accounts and information before, during, and after your Online Banking sessions.

1. Protect Your Password
Make sure to keep your password secret. Don't write it down, don't share it with anyone else, and if you're using a computer in a public area, make sure nobody else is watching your keystrokes as you enter your password.

2. Be Aware of Your Browser
Make sure to fully log out of the credit union web site and close your browser window after you finish your online banking session, especially if you're using a computer others have access to.

3. Use a Strong Password
We recommend that you change your password regularly to something than contains more than eight (8) characters, using a combination of Upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

4. Contact Us
If you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account, contact Consumers immediately at 877.ASK.CCCU(275-2228).


Stay Secure Online

The security of your personal information is always a priority at CCU. We use a variety of technologies and techniques to help ensure that your accounts are safe and sound. You should protect yourself also by making an effort to control risks when you use your personal computer or conduct business online.

Here are some of the steps you can take:
• Do what you can to prevent unauthorized people from using your personal computer (PC).
• Log off or lock your workstation whenever you leave your computer.
• Don't give your PINs (Personal Identification Number) or passwords to anyone. In addition do not record your PINs or passwords in an easy-to-find place. If you notice suspicious activity in your accounts, report it immediately to Consumers.
• Install anti-virus, anti-spyware, and other internet security software on your PC. Use it regularly and keep it up-to-date.
• Be leery of emails you received from people you don't know and don't open any attachments they may contain. When in doubt, delete the message without opening it.
• Make sure your browser uses the strongest encryption available and be aware of the encryption levels of the sites and applications you use.

We recognize how important it is to protect your identity from unlawful use and shield your accounts from fraud and unauthorized access. With that in mind, we want you to know that it is not our practice to ask for your CCU Username, Password, or MFA information in email. We only ask for your Username, Password, and potentially MFA Challenge Questions when you log into Online Banking.

Furthermore, you can be assured that it's not our practice to:
• Send email that requires you to enter personal information directly into the email.
• Send email threatening to close your account if you do not take the immediate action of providing personal information.
• Send email asking you to reply by sending personal information.
• Share your name with anyone outside the credit union in a manner inconsistent with our Privacy Policy.

You should never respond or reply to email that:
• Requires you to enter personal information directly into the email or submit that information some other way.
• Threatens to close or suspend your account if you do not take immediate action by providing personal information.
• Solicits your participation in a survey where you are asked to enter personal information.
• States that your account has been compromised or that there has been third-party activity on your account and requests you to enter or confirm your account information.
• States that there are unauthorized charges on your account and requests your account information.
• Asks you to enter your member number, username, Telephone Teller PIN, passwords, MFA Challenge Questions, or credit card number into an email or non-secure webpage.
• Asks you to confirm, verify, or refresh your account, credit card, or billing information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is phishing?
A: Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is a form of criminal activity that employs social engineering techniques to acquire sensitive information such as PINs and credit card details. By masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication like email, criminals use sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information.

Q: What protection do I have if I responded to a phishing attempt?
A: Each situation is different. The credit union will work with you to make the best decisions based on the nature of the compromise and what data you shared.

Q: Should I provide authentication information in an email?
A: You should never enter your member number, Username, or password, in an email.

Q: Does Consumers send out marketing emails?
A: Yes. We use email and our websites to inform members about products and services we offer that may be of value to them.

Q: What should I do if I'm suspicious of email bearing the Consumers logo?
A: If you are suspicious, don't reply to, click on, or enter any information. If it says it's from Consumers and you're suspicious, you can forward it to Consumers. If you entered information about one of your Consumers accounts, you should call us immediately. We investigate each incident and take steps to prevent further unauthorized email from being sent.

Q: Is Consumers proactively working to stop phishing?
A: Yes! We partner with a leading security firm that specializes in Online Fraud protection. We are able to get these fraudulent sites offline quickly using this partnership.

Q: Is your network secure?
A: Consumers has implemented multiple layers of security on our network to provide added protection, rather than a single layer such as a firewall. This places multiple barriers between the outside world and our business-critical information resources. Yes, we do use firewalls; but we also use our routers and intrusion detection systems to protect the Credit Union's Online Banking and other networks from unauthorized traffic. All network activity accessing our business-critical systems is logged, monitored and audited on a continual basis.