I have been searching the census.gov website for some insight into this new type of scam and came up with some very helpful information. First of all, you should be aware of what the Census Bureau is doing to reach people and what they are not doing:

• The Census Bureau is conducting a survey by mail
• The Census Bureau is not conducting the Census via internet
• The Census Bureau does not send e-mails about participating in the Census
• The Census Bureau never:   
  • Asks for your full social security number
  • Asks for money or a donation
  • Sends requests on behalf of a political party
  • Requests PIN codes, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

Your Census survey will come in the mail and ask a few very simple questions. Beware! If you get something in the mail that looks similar to the Census, but it asks for your social security number – throw it away!

This type of fraudulent activity is called ‘phishing’  and is the criminal process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, social security numbers, bank account or credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

If you ever question whether or not to give out personal account numbers, PINs, or social security numbers – don’t do it. You are welcome to give us a call and we can help you decide if the request for that type of personal information is valid. We love to help members protect their information from the bad guys!

Have a happy St. Patrick’s day!

Skimming is the most prevalent form of fraud these days as far as ATMs go – it’s been named one of the top ten fraud threats for 2010.

What is it?

Skimming is a method of stealing account information during an ATM transaction. Most of the time a fraudulent card reader is placed on top of the ATM card reader and the thief gets your account number when you slide your card.

Here are a few tips to keep your account safe:

• Be wary of anything about the ATM that looks out of the ordinary, such as out-of-place wires or equipment.
• Look for a ‘no tampering’ sign. Crooks often place these to stop anyone curious about a new piece of equipment.
• Steer clear of a jammed ATM that forces people to use a nearby ATM. Often, the criminal will disable other ATMs in the area to draw users to the machine with a skimming device.
• Always check accounts regularly to make sure there are no unauthorized transactions.
• Protect your PIN – don’t give your number out to anyone.

If you have logged on to your Online Banking account and noticed that the menu on the left side of the page was missing, you have a problem. That problem is most likely coming from the newest version of Internet Explorer. If you have upgraded your browser to Internet Explorer 8, you may not be seeing everything you need to see in Online Banking.

The solution that we have found seems to be working. Try this:

1) Open the Internet Explorer 8 browser.

2) Click on Tools.

3) Select “Compatibility View Settings” from the drop down box.

4) In this window there will be a line to add the web site address of the web site in question (in this case, www.nwgacu.org).  When our site is in the box, click on the “Add” button.

5) Click the “close” button to close this window.

After you’ve done this quick fix, log into Online Banking and see if it worked. You’ll know it worked if you can now see every menu option on the left side of the screen.

Give us a call if the menu items still won’t show up - a Financial Services Officer will be glad to help.

What a fun night!

I wish I could show you really great pictures of our members eating popcorn, reading the Annual Report, chatting with one another, or watching the movie. But, I can’t. I forgot my camera.

And then I remembered it!

And then I got to the meeting and was way too busy to think about taking pictures.

So sorry about that.

All that to say – you’ll have to bear with my visual-less explanation of the 48th Annual Meeting.

The theme this year was ‘Unbelievable’ because we just rolled out our newest tagline ‘Un-banking. Unbelievable.’ (You can read more about the tagline here.)

Michelle and Robert started the meeting with an update from this past year at the credit union – all good things, I promise.

Then we moved on to everyone’s favorite part – the drawing! The drawing is always so exciting. “Who’s it gonna be? Could it be me? Am I the lucky winner?”

Then members grabbed their popcorn and drinks and settled in for a special viewing of the new movie “Tooth Fairy”.

It was a really cute movie and I heard lots of member compliments when it was over.

If you were there, leave a comment and let us know what you thought!

Actually, Christi spotted one in our lobby just the other day.

Take a look:

This is Mr. Cochran – a very loyal member.

So, here it is:

This is the new Northwest Georgia Credit Union t-shirt. It says ‘Un-banking. Unbelievable’ and it is for our most loyal of members.

What does it mean to be a loyal member at NWGACU?

Well, it’s not about how many times you come see us in the drive-thru (although we do love it when you come see us!) and it’s not about how often you check our website (but of course we love it when you check our website!).

A loyal member at the credit union is a member that has a checking account with an active debit card, direct deposit and eStatements. And now a loyal member at the credit union is also the owner of one very cool t-shirt.

If you already have one of our t-shirts, send us a picture of yourself wearing it around town – we may even show it off on this here blog.

Big banks are so last season.

Why?

Dan Mica, President and CEO of the Credit Union National Association,  answers the ’why’ question in the Huffington Post today. Read it here.

Great article! But if you’re already a credit union member I’m sure you already know why.

[P.S. Judy is the big winner in our Thashers Giveaway! Congratulations Judy!]

I am holding in my hands two (very hard to get) passes to attend the Atlanta Thrashers pre-game skate for THIS SATURDAY!! 

Would you like to have these passes? 

Just tell us which product or service you love at NWGACU. Or, tell us about a product or service that you’d like to see us offer. 

Leave a little note in the comments section with your favorite product or service and we’ll draw a name at random. Contest ends Thursday, January 7.  

And be sure to leave your e-mail address so that we can reach you.

*Employees and their families are not eligible for this contest.

• Be in the know about whether you’ll owe money or if you should expect a refund.
• Dig deep or ask a professional to find out what tax deductions or tax credits you may qualify for.
• Check out any changes from the IRS or any changes from the state of Georgia.

And if you are a member of Northwest Georgia Credit Union, you can file your simple return for FREE with TurboTax or get $30.00 off when you let Jackson Hewitt handle your return. Save a little money and start the year off in the right financial direction! 

Here’s to a financially smart new year!

But, I’m not here to talk about how it looks. Here’s what I want you to do:

Over at www.nwgacu.org, move your mouse right across the red menu bar until you see the button titled ‘Rates’. The last drop-down menu item is ‘Financial Calculators’. Click this: it’s gold.

The first calculator is for those of us with a lazy/forgetful pen. Our pens seem to drop the ball when it comes to writing down when we write checks or make deposits. So, maybe this Checkbook Balancer will do the job. Just enter checks you write and deposits you make and watch the balancing begin. It even has a graph for the visual peeps.

The next calculator is Dealer Financing vs. Credit Union Financing. When you are looking into buying a car, check here first. You’ll see how just a few interest rate points can make a HUGE difference in your monthly payment! 

Don’t Delay Your Savings is the calculator for those thinking about retirement. I know, your first thought is people 50 and over, but if you have a job, you should be thinking about retirement! Play with this calculator and don’t delay your savings!

Moving right along to the best calculator on the website – Home Budget Analysis. The pie chart is so organized and colorful and even more importantly – it’s so helpful!

Last but not least, the Loan & Line Calculator will help you see what your payment would be on a new loan or line of credit. Always good to be prepared – just like the boy scouts.

Also very cool: Below each calculator you’ll find some helpful definitions.

Enjoy!