Stay Safe

Your security is our priority

Learn how to stay one step ahead of scammers and fraudsters.

Your local Orange Credit Union team of financial wellness champions have compiled this useful guide to help you Stay Safe.

Protect yourself and your loved ones

At Orange Credit Union, we take your security seriously. We are working with our customers and the community to keep each other safe from fraudsters and scammers who are taking advantage of people's good nature and vulnerabilities, which has led to an increase in fraud and scam cases across the Orange region and Australia. Anyone could be a target. It is important to know how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

We encourage you to start a conversation now, to prevent fraud and scams.

Register your interest to attend an upcoming Financial Wellness Forum

Orange Credit Union is focussed on helping you learn more about how to make the most of your money.

Our recent Stay Safe Forums were well attended and feedback has been wonderful. Thank you to those who were able to join us!

Through our community Financial Wellness forums, our team is collaborating with specialists in the industry to help the community build confidence and connect with each other. By sharing important information, together we can 'fight back' against financial crime.

We invite you to register your interest to attend an upcoming free community Financial Wellness Forum. We plan to bring back these forums early in 2022. By registering your interest, you will be personally invited to join our next forum when the situation improves. Simply click the 'Expressions of Interest' button so we can get in touch with you. Please call Your Team Orange on 6362 4466 for further details.

Expressions of Interest

Did you know?

In our local experience, 9 out of 10 scams rely on customers being convinced to provide personal details or access to their bank accounts to scammers. You are the best protector of your personal information. Keep them safe at all times. Do not disclose security information to anyone, no matter what they say!

Stay safe from fraud and scams

According to ACCC Scamwatch, already in 2021, there has been more than $43 million lost and over 40,000 scams reported. Go to Scamwatch's scam statistics for the latest details.

What is a scam?

Scams are becoming more sophisticated so it is important to be aware of your actions.
Scams are when a third party deceives you into making payments, providing passwords, gaining your personal information or asking for/ getting access to your accounts.

What is fraud?

Fraud is when a third party seeks to deceive a bank or financial institution to gain access to your money. A common example is credit card fraud where your credentials are stolen when you use your card online.

Personal Security Guides

The new Personal Cyber Security Guides include three easy-to-understand guides, provided by the Australian Cyber Secuirty Centre, on how Australians can take action against common cyber threats. The guides are designed to suit all levels of experience including First Steps, Next Steps and Advanced Steps.

First Steps Guide Next Steps Guide Advanced Steps Guide Seniors Guide

Real life stories – don’t be next

Susie’s story		Mark’s story
Susie received an urgent call from Tim, who said he was from her telephone company's security department. Tim claimed he had detected a hacker who was sending her random advertising emails with a malware (a malicious computer program) that could be used to access all of Susie's personal details. Susie agreed to receive Tim's help and downloaded and installed a computer program that gave Tim access to her computer. Over a period of time, Tim scammed Susie out of more than $90,000.		Mark was scammed out of $8,000 on two separate occasions by a scammer who was impersonating a fraud investigations team at a well-known financial institution. The scammer convinced the man to withdraw cash in various large amounts over a period of a couple of months and deposit the money into a bank account. The man mistakenly believed he was being helpful and compliant but instead he was unknowingly depositing his cash straight into the bank account of a scammer. Unfortunately, as cash transactions were over the counter, the money will be more difficult to recover.

Susie’s story

Mark’s story

Susie received an urgent call from Tim, who said he was from her telephone company's security department. Tim claimed he had detected a hacker who was sending her random advertising emails with a malware (a malicious computer program) that could be used to access all of Susie's personal details. Susie agreed to receive Tim's help and downloaded and installed a computer program that gave Tim access to her computer. Over a period of time, Tim scammed Susie out of more than $90,000.

Mark was scammed out of $8,000 on two separate occasions by a scammer who was impersonating a fraud investigations team at a well-known financial institution. The scammer convinced the man to withdraw cash in various large amounts over a period of a couple of months and deposit the money into a bank account. The man mistakenly believed he was being helpful and compliant but instead he was unknowingly depositing his cash straight into the bank account of a scammer. Unfortunately, as cash transactions were over the counter, the money will be more difficult to recover.

Top Tips

Download our top 5 scam prevention tips here.

How we protect you

Safeguarding your financial and personal information is our top priority. Orange Credit Union has a number of checks and balances available to help keep your money safe.

Learn more about what we do to protect you and your business against fraudulent transactions.

Some of our security features include:

Report a scam or fraud

If you expect a scam or fraud, contact us immediately. Trust your instincts and if you receive any suspicious calls, emails or SMS messages or notice unusual activity on your account, it is important to let us know.

If you think you have been a victim of a scam, you think your banking details have been compromised or you’re worried about fraud on your account, please contact the Orange Credit Union team immediately on 6362 4466.

If you contact us as soon as you are aware of suspicious activity, we will be in a better position to secure your account, prevent further loss and try to recover your money.
We will do what we can to help you, however in most cases we are unlikely to get your money back.
It is also recommended to report any fraud and scam activity including those you have prevented to the local Police and lodge an online report via the ACCC’s Scamwatch Service.

Share these messages to protect your friends, family and loved ones

Stay alert, stay informed and act now. We are here to help.

Feel free to come talk to us in our Orange branch at 288 Summer Street.

Call us on 6362 4466 or talk to our dedicated Orange Credit Union Fraud Team on 1300 705 750.

Further information and resources

Please visit the Australian Cyber Security website (cyber.gov.au) to learn more - Click here

Remember, everyone can be targeted: Scammers can obtain your phone number fraudulently or from anywhere it has been publicly listed (such as in a phone book). Remember you can still receive scam calls even if you have a private number or have listed your number on the Australian Government’s Do Not Call Register.
If you receive a call on your phone or mobile and you do not recognise the number (ie- it may be from overseas) do not answer, it may be a scam. If you happen to answer and are asked personal information or to press numbers on your phone, do not comply, simply hang up as it is likely to be a scam.
Undertake software updates: Always keep your computer up-to-date with the latest software updates, anti-virus software and a good firewall.
Protect your personal details: Never give your credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and you’re using a phone number from the trusted source like the organisation’s official website. Learn more about protecting your personal information.
Don’t give remote access to a stranger: Never give a stranger remote access to your computer, even if they claim to be from a well known business.
Phone and ask for your PIN or password to be provided verbally or by email
Ask you to download any software or remotely access your computer
Ask you to transfer money into another 'safe' account in your name – even if we suspect fraud
Ask you to withdraw money
Send someone to your home to collect cash, your PIN or cards or cheque books, even if you are victim of fraud.
Contact you requesting access to your device, request your passwords, security codes, PINs or other personal information via an email, text message or a phone call.
24/7 Watch – We work with our fraud security team to monitor, detect and take action on scams that target our customers.
Latest Technology – We use sophisticated systems to constantly monitor transactions and identify risks, so you can feel confident your accounts are secure.
Real time checks – we know your online transaction activity and normal banking experiences. Getting to know your identity can help alert us to suspicious activity. We will alert you.