News & Announcements

How To Avoid Identity Theft While Online

In light of the recent announcement from online retailer Zappo’s that the personal information from more than 24 million customers was compromised, including names and addresses, we wanted to take a moment and share several tips that will help you stay safe shopping online. Here are five ways that you can continue to enjoy the convenience of online shopping while taking steps to make sure your information stays safe:

1. Make sure that the site you’re sending personal information to is a “secure” site. You’ll know that you're on a secure site by looking at the web address. If it begins with “https” then you’ll know that you’re on a secure site that encrypts web traffic.

2. Protect your password. It sounds simple, but statistics show that many people use the same password on several different accounts. Whether you’re shopping online or using the internet banking feature through the credit union, choose several different passwords so that if one is compromised the information on your other accounts will be safe.

3. Do some quick research before buying from unfamiliar sites. Do an internet search featuring the name of the company you are about to send your information to and look for words like "scam," "complaint," or "review” to show up in the search results.

4. Be cautious of sharing personal information while using a Wi-Fi connection. For additional safety, make sure that your home network is WPA-encrypted. In fact, it’s best to avoid using public Wi-Fi when accessing sites that will ask for personal information, including email login information. For those with smartphones, 3G and 4G is a more secure way to access these websites than Wi-Fi.

5. Watch out for phishing scams. If your information has been hacked recently, you may receive an email from the hacker(s) looking for additional information. Never give out sensitive information requested by email. As a reminder, you will never receive an email from us at the credit union asking for you to send personal information by email. If you receive an email that looks suspicious, please contact us immediately.

Did You Make a Financial New Years Resolution?

As we head into the New Year, many of you have already made New Year's resolutions. In fact, a study shows that 45% of all Americans make at least one New Year's resolution, and 34% of those resolutions are related to finances. And now the bad news: Only 8% are successful in reaching their New Year's Resolutions. 24% never succeed and have failed on every New Year's Resolution they have ever set. The odds aren’t in your favor. And though we at Secured Advantage can’t help you lose weight or take that class at the community college, we can help with your financial goals. If you’ve set 2012 as the year that you’re going to work on your finances, we’ve put together some resources to help you find success in reaching your New Year's Resolutions dealing with personal finance. First, here’s a check-list of things you can do to help jump start your success:

• Review your loans and credit cards. Gather some basic information about each using the form provided and call your Secured Advantage loan officer. Chances are, we may be able to refinance some of those loans to a lower interest rate and/or lower payment.

• Review your credit report. By finding and correcting errors, your credit score is likely to improve, which will give you access to better rates when you request a new loan, or refinance an existing loan. We’ve provided the link to get your free credit report right here: FREE CREDIT REPORT

If after all of this, you still feel like you’re in over your head, there’s help. As a member of Secured Advantage, you’re entitled to free financial counseling from our partners at Balance. This is NOT a “get out of debt quick” scheme, nor is it a “Raise Your Credit Score Instantly” program. Balance is designed to work one-on-one with you to sort out the specifics of your situation and help put a plan together to begin getting your finances back on track.

Credit Unions were founded on this basis: People Helping People, Help Themselves. We hope that you’ll allow us to help you find success in the New Year's Resolutions you have set in regards to your finances.

Below are some links to resources that can help you achieve your New Year’s Resolutions for 2012:

Balance: This is a financial counseling service provided FREE to all secured Advantage members. If you're drowning in debt and falling behind on your bills, or you just want to review your personal credit report, the trained counselors at Balance can assist.

Dave Ramsey: Radio Host heard locally nationally on hundreds of radio stations, and best-selling Author Dave Ramsey provides a common sense approach to personal finance. His website has many great articles and provides valuable resources to help your family stay on the right track financially.

Clark Howard: Nationally syndicated radio and television Clark Howard is the self-proclaimed "consumer advocate" helping you "save more, spend less, and avoid rip-offs". Whether you're looking for tips to cut your family budget or you're thinking about making a major purchase, Clark's website is full of great resources.

Congrats to the Winner of the XBox 360!

From all of us at Secured Advantage FCU, we would like to congradulate Cookie Brock! Cookie won the XBox 360 from Secured Advantage just for swiping her debit card over the last thirty days. Stay tuned for more fun contests in 2012 from your credit union!

FREE! Free Auto Buying Resource

Before you head to the dealership and start kicking tires, do your homework! SAFCU Members can make use of this free auto research and buying guide. Find out what your local dealers have in stock, and take a look at the reviews on the vehicle your considering before making the big purchase. We want our members to be educated and informed when buying their new vehicle.

Click HERE to start doing your research today!

Find us on Facebook!

We would LOVE to connect with you on Facebook! You can find our new page at www.facebook.com/securedadvantagefcu. Keep up to date with what's happening at your credit union, see photos from credit union events, and look for ways to win some cool prizes!

SAFCU: Home of the Free Debit Card

Secured Advantage FCU joined over 30 other credit unions in South Carolina to sign the "free debit card" pledge. For more details, check out the story that ran locally on Fox Carolina identifying Secured Advantage FCU as one of the credit unions in the Upstate that signed this pledge.

Click HERE to see the story