Holiday loans available at SIU Credit Union

Posted by Chris Sievers on Nov 25th, 2009 | View Comments

Busy Holiday Week

Posted by Chris Sievers on Nov 24th, 2009 | View Comments

It’s been a busy holiday week for SIU Credit Union. Yesterday, I delivered a truck load of food collected by credit union employees to the final collection point of the SIU Credit Union, Withers Broadcasting Holiday Food Drive. I’m told that donation levels are greater than last year. All the food collected will fill food pantries throughout Southern Illinois.

Yesterday also started our sponsorship of Pat’s Kids. For many years, SIU Credit Union has been a major sponsor of this charity that gives abused and underprivileged children a chance to have a Christmas. The stories we hear from the kids are heartbreaking. We’re happy to be a part of this wonderful charity. If you are able, please consider dropping off a check, made payable to The Poshard Foundation, at any SIU Credit Union location or mail to River Radio, attention Pat Benton, 1431 Country Aire Drive, Carterville, IL 62918.

I also made my monthly visit to the Murphysboro Illinois Youth Camp. I spent the morning talking to the inmates about budgeting, credit scores and loan interest rates. This was a good group of kids who had many intelligent questions. We compared interest rates on a car loan for a person with good credit compared to someone with poor credit. The look on their faces told me they got my message.

Finally, we’ll be tailgating on Saturday from 11 to 1 as SIU battles EIU (my alma mater) in the first round of football playoffs. Pick up your tailgate tickets at these locations.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Rules For Shopping At Home For The Holidays

Posted by SIU Credit Union on Nov 20th, 2009 | View Comments

Does the thought of making your way through crowded malls and shopping at 20 different stores only to wait in long check-out lines have you feeling like the Grinch? Shopping online during the holiday season can save time and minimize stress, but know a few simple rules before you dive into the world of online purchasing.

1. Only buy from familiar companies. Confirm the seller’s contact information in case you have questions or problems in the future. Know exactly what you’re buying. Carefully read the product description. Remember–if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Protect your privacy. Read and understand the company’s online privacy policy and keep any personal information, passwords, or PINs (personal identification numbers) private. Look for these signals indicating that you have entered a secure Web page:
* A screen notice that says you’re visiting a secure site
* A closed lock or unbroken key in the bottom corner of your screen
* The first letters of the Internet address you are viewing change from “http” to “https”

3. Pay safely. After you review all terms of the sale, such as cost for shipping, delivery date, and return policy, you are ready to buy. Credit or charge card payments offer consumers the most protection. Finally, print all transaction records and any other useful information pertaining to your purchase.

Although online shopping allows you to virtually load your sleigh with just a few mouse clicks, practice safe browsing this holiday season.

Smishing Scam

Posted by Chris Sievers on Nov 16th, 2009 | View Comments

A fraudulent text message (SMiShing scam), with a message claiming to have been sent from Your Credit Union was sent out to random cellular phone numbers.  The message stated that there was a “security problem” and urged the recipient to call a fraudulent phone number in order to reactivate a debit or credit card.  This message was not sent out from SIU Credit Union. SIU Credit Union will never request personal information, such as name verification, account information, social security number, etc.  in a phone or email, or other solicitation.  If you receive any messages such as this one, please disregard. Please be assured that these text messages did not originate from SIU Credit Union nor was our security or member information compromised by this fraud attempt.

SIU Credit Union Holiday Food Drive

Posted by Chris Sievers on Nov 13th, 2009 | View Comments

The credit union movement is built around the concept of people helping people. We can think of no better way to illustrate that then our annual holiday food drive. From now until November 23, we’ll be collecting food for those in need in Southern Illinois. We’ve partnered with Withers Broadcasting and Krogers stores in Southern Illinois to collect the food. 

Look for the donation barrels at Kroger stores and at SIU Credit Union branches (provided by our friends at Black Diamond Harley-Davidson) and donate canned goods or non-perishable food through November 23rd.

Afterward, we’ll ensure that the food is donated to a food bank in each community.  That’s right, all the food donated here stays here in southern Illinois.  It’s truly neighbors helping neighbors.

If you’d like to make a monetary donation you can drop it off at any SIU Credit Union location and we’ll do the shopping for you.

E-mail Scam Alert

Posted by terriaddison on Nov 12th, 2009 | View Comments

Random individuals and/or companies may have received a falsified e-mail with the subject title “Rejected ACH Transaction.”  This e-mail appears to be from NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association telling them that there is a problem with an ACH transaction they have originated.  The e-mail includes a link which redirects the individual to a fake web page which appears like the NACHA website and contains a link which is almost certainly executable virus with malware.  See sample below.

= = = = = Sample E-mail = = = = = =

From: nacha.org [mailto:report@nacha.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:25 AM
To: Doe, John
Subject: Rejected ACH transaction, please review the transaction report
Dear bank account holder,

The ACH transaction, recently initiated from your bank account, was rejected by the Electronic Payments Association. Please review the transaction report by clicking the link below:

Unauthorized ACH Transaction Report  (this is the how the link is presented)