The Decatur branch operation continues to move forward and our plans are to open the Decatur office operation on July 1st. The office itself is located at 1616 Church Street, Decatur Alabama 35601. Similar to the operation that we had at the Steering Office in Tanner, this Decatur office is actually located within the Wolverine Employees Credit Union office. We are leasing space from Wolverine Employees Credit Union in this cooperative venture. Employees of North Alabama Educators Credit Union will be working at this office to serve our membership in the area. Operating hours will be from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The telephone number will be the same as the old Steering office but the telephone number transfer will not be effective until July 11th. A temporary phone number will be established and posted prior to our opening on July 1st.
Additional information will be provided through our web page, home banking, and direct mail to our members in the Decatur area.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Member questions on LifeLock
There have been a few member inquiries about LifeLock and media reports of pending litigation. The litigation cases had been reviewed prior to offering the discounted service to the membership. One of the three credit reporting agencies, Experian, filed a lawsuit in February 2008. I have included a link below that has information about the Experian suit. In my opinion, the Experian lawsuit is more about Experian losing money from a larger number of consumer credit files being blocked by the LifeLock service. Members are encouraged to read the linked article and formulate their own opinions about the service.
I view LifeLock as a beneficial service. Yes, some of the services provided by LifeLock can be obtained for free directly with the credit reporting agencies but they would also require continuous manual updates every 90 days by the consumer with each of the three credit reporting agencies. LifeLock manages these multiple steps for the consumer. Credit reports are used as a tool in decisions involving extension of credit, employment, new accounts, rental agreements, and insurance products. If someone applied for an apartment rental in another state with your name and social security number, would you know about it? With LifeLock, you would.
Click HERE for the link to an article about the Experian lawsuit.
I view LifeLock as a beneficial service. Yes, some of the services provided by LifeLock can be obtained for free directly with the credit reporting agencies but they would also require continuous manual updates every 90 days by the consumer with each of the three credit reporting agencies. LifeLock manages these multiple steps for the consumer. Credit reports are used as a tool in decisions involving extension of credit, employment, new accounts, rental agreements, and insurance products. If someone applied for an apartment rental in another state with your name and social security number, would you know about it? With LifeLock, you would.
Click HERE for the link to an article about the Experian lawsuit.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Red Flags on Job Searches
This came from the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama
BBB Advice: Look for Seven Red Flags when Searching for Jobs Online Huntsville, AL, June 10, 2008-In a recent report on job searching, The Conference Board noted that people are increasingly turning to the Internet as a key tool, noting that in 2007, 73 percent of job seekers reported using the online sources compared to 66 percent in 2005. While the Internet has made searching for jobs easier, it also provides an opportunity for ID thieves and scammers to take advantage of eager - and unsuspecting - job seekers. Better Business Bureau is providing guidance that will help people spot the seven most common red flags associated with online job search scams.
A 2007 survey by CareerBuilder.com found that 84 percent of U.S. workers are not in their dream job. Unfortunately, the search for a dream job can lead to becoming a victim of identity theft or other types of fraud. In 2007 alone, the Federal Trade Commission recorded more than 11,000 complaints about business opportunities including work-at-home scams, many of which were advertised online.
"BBB knows that the number of people who actually report being a victim of fraud when searching for a job is only the tip of the iceberg," said LeJuan George, BBB spokesperson. "With a tough economy and tight job market forcing both businesses and job seekers to make difficult choices, BBB expects that instances of online job search fraud will continue to grow in the coming months as unemployment rates rise."
Following are seven red flags BBB advises jobs hunters to be on the look out for when using online resources:
Red Flag: Employer e-mails are rife with grammatical and spelling errors. Most online fraud is perpetrated by scammers located outside the U.S. Their first language usually isn't English and this is often evident in their poor grasp of the language which can include poor grammar and the misspelling of common words.
Red Flag: E-mails purporting to be from job posting Web sites claiming there's a problem with a job hunter's account. After creating a user account on sites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com, a job hunter might receive an e-mail saying there has been a problem with their account or they need to follow a hyperlink to install new software. Phishing e-mails like this are designed to convince readers to click a link within the message to fix the issue, but actually take them to a Web site that will install malware or viruses on their computer.
Red Flag: An employer asks for extensive personal information such as social security or bank account numbers. Some job seekers have been surprised to learn they've gotten a job without having to do a single interview. However, when the employer then asked for personal information in order to fill out the necessary paperwork suspicions were raised - and rightly so. Regardless of the reason or excuse given by the employer, a job applicant should never give out his or her Social Security or bank account numbers over the phone or e-mail.
Red Flag: An employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home. While there are legitimate businesses that allow employees to work from home, there are also a lot of scammers trying to take advantage of senior citizens, stay-at-home moms, students and injured or handicapped people looking to make money at home. Job hunters should use extreme caution when considering a work-at-home offer and always research the company with their BBB first at www.bbb.org.
Red Flag: An employer asks for money upfront. Aside from paying for a uniform, it is rarely advisable for an applicant to pay upfront fees or make a required purchase to get a job. Most recently, the BBB of Metropolitan Dallas uncovered a scam where job hunters were told they had to pay $64.50 for a background check before they could be considered for a cleaning job. Predictably, after paying for the background check, the job seeker never heard from the company again.
Red Flag: The salary and benefits offered seem too-good-to-be-true. The adage holds true for job offers: if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Phony employers might brag about exceptionally high salary potential and excellent benefits for little experience in order to lure unsuspecting job hunters into their scam.
Red Flag: The job requires the employee to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram. Many phony jobs require the prospective employee to cash a check sent by the company through the mail and then wire a portion of the money on to another entity. Reasons given for this requirement vary from scam to scam. Whatever the reason though, the check might clear the employee's bank account but will eventually turn out to be a fake and the employee is out the money he or she wired back to the scammers.
BBB Advice: Look for Seven Red Flags when Searching for Jobs Online Huntsville, AL, June 10, 2008-In a recent report on job searching, The Conference Board noted that people are increasingly turning to the Internet as a key tool, noting that in 2007, 73 percent of job seekers reported using the online sources compared to 66 percent in 2005. While the Internet has made searching for jobs easier, it also provides an opportunity for ID thieves and scammers to take advantage of eager - and unsuspecting - job seekers. Better Business Bureau is providing guidance that will help people spot the seven most common red flags associated with online job search scams.
A 2007 survey by CareerBuilder.com found that 84 percent of U.S. workers are not in their dream job. Unfortunately, the search for a dream job can lead to becoming a victim of identity theft or other types of fraud. In 2007 alone, the Federal Trade Commission recorded more than 11,000 complaints about business opportunities including work-at-home scams, many of which were advertised online.
"BBB knows that the number of people who actually report being a victim of fraud when searching for a job is only the tip of the iceberg," said LeJuan George, BBB spokesperson. "With a tough economy and tight job market forcing both businesses and job seekers to make difficult choices, BBB expects that instances of online job search fraud will continue to grow in the coming months as unemployment rates rise."
Following are seven red flags BBB advises jobs hunters to be on the look out for when using online resources:
Red Flag: Employer e-mails are rife with grammatical and spelling errors. Most online fraud is perpetrated by scammers located outside the U.S. Their first language usually isn't English and this is often evident in their poor grasp of the language which can include poor grammar and the misspelling of common words.
Red Flag: E-mails purporting to be from job posting Web sites claiming there's a problem with a job hunter's account. After creating a user account on sites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com, a job hunter might receive an e-mail saying there has been a problem with their account or they need to follow a hyperlink to install new software. Phishing e-mails like this are designed to convince readers to click a link within the message to fix the issue, but actually take them to a Web site that will install malware or viruses on their computer.
Red Flag: An employer asks for extensive personal information such as social security or bank account numbers. Some job seekers have been surprised to learn they've gotten a job without having to do a single interview. However, when the employer then asked for personal information in order to fill out the necessary paperwork suspicions were raised - and rightly so. Regardless of the reason or excuse given by the employer, a job applicant should never give out his or her Social Security or bank account numbers over the phone or e-mail.
Red Flag: An employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home. While there are legitimate businesses that allow employees to work from home, there are also a lot of scammers trying to take advantage of senior citizens, stay-at-home moms, students and injured or handicapped people looking to make money at home. Job hunters should use extreme caution when considering a work-at-home offer and always research the company with their BBB first at www.bbb.org.
Red Flag: An employer asks for money upfront. Aside from paying for a uniform, it is rarely advisable for an applicant to pay upfront fees or make a required purchase to get a job. Most recently, the BBB of Metropolitan Dallas uncovered a scam where job hunters were told they had to pay $64.50 for a background check before they could be considered for a cleaning job. Predictably, after paying for the background check, the job seeker never heard from the company again.
Red Flag: The salary and benefits offered seem too-good-to-be-true. The adage holds true for job offers: if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Phony employers might brag about exceptionally high salary potential and excellent benefits for little experience in order to lure unsuspecting job hunters into their scam.
Red Flag: The job requires the employee to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram. Many phony jobs require the prospective employee to cash a check sent by the company through the mail and then wire a portion of the money on to another entity. Reasons given for this requirement vary from scam to scam. Whatever the reason though, the check might clear the employee's bank account but will eventually turn out to be a fake and the employee is out the money he or she wired back to the scammers.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
LifeLock Identity Theft
You have probably heard the commercials for LifeLock before. The company CEO gives out his social security number in the commercial, knowing that he is protected from identity theft with the LifeLock service. The LifeLock service is a beneficial service. Members of the credit union can now purchase the LikeLock services at a discounted rate. The current price to members is $99 per year or $9 per month. This price is a bargain in comparison to the costs and time associated with having your identity stolen .There is a "LifeLock Identity Theft" page on our web site under the "Services" tab.
Please use the LifeLock link on our web site for online orders to receive the reduced rate for members of NAECU. Members can also call 1-800-lifelock (1-800-543-3562) to order the service over the telephone and receive the discounted rate by providing the PROMO code of "NAEC".
Here is a direct link to our web site page for LifeLock: http://www.naecu.org/services/lifelockidentitytheft.html
Please use the LifeLock link on our web site for online orders to receive the reduced rate for members of NAECU. Members can also call 1-800-lifelock (1-800-543-3562) to order the service over the telephone and receive the discounted rate by providing the PROMO code of "NAEC".
Here is a direct link to our web site page for LifeLock: http://www.naecu.org/services/lifelockidentitytheft.html
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Great Teacher Conference
It has been a pleasure to serve as a volunteer for the Great Teacher Conference being held at Columbia High School this week. The Schools Foundation, in partnership with Huntsville City Schools, Madison County Schools, and Madison City Schools, has hosted this conference for six years. NAECU had several employees serving as volunteers to assist with sign-in sheets, meeting evaluations, and general assistance with the conference. Two of our employees, Selina Billions and Rhonda Dodson, have served as volunteers each day of the conference. I appreciate their work and efforts in assisting the conference. NAECU was proud to serve as the sponsor for Tuesday's lunch for the conference participants.
It has been great to meet and talk with teachers during the conference. I served as a meeting facilitator on several educational sessions and I have great respect for the efforts being taken to provide a quality education for our children.
For more information on The Schools Foundation, please visit their web site at www.theschoolsfoundation.org .
It has been great to meet and talk with teachers during the conference. I served as a meeting facilitator on several educational sessions and I have great respect for the efforts being taken to provide a quality education for our children.
For more information on The Schools Foundation, please visit their web site at www.theschoolsfoundation.org .
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