Identity Theft

If you suspect fraudulent activity on any of your BECU accounts — or believe you're a victim of identity theft — contact us right away.

  • Call 800-233-2328 during regular business hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Pacific Time). For TTY support, dial 711 to access the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS).
  • BECU debit card after hours: 888-241-2510 or 909-941-1398 (collect outside U.S.). Note: You can pause your debit card in Online Banking or the mobile app 24/7.
  • BECU credit card after hours: 866-820-2999. For BECU credit card 24/7 TTY support: 888-918-7323. 

Identity Theft: What Is It?

Identity theft occurs when a criminal steals someone's personal information and uses it to take their money, open credit accounts, file tax returns, make health insurance claims and more without the victim's permission.

How Does Identity Theft Happen?

Criminals can obtain personal data in a variety of ways, including physical theft (e.g., stealing your wallet or backpack), public information, social media accounts, phishing, and data breaches. If a thief has access to personal information like usernames and passwords, Social Security number, addresses, and/or payment details, they may be able to set up unauthorized accounts, engage in account fraud, and commit other crimes in your name.

Recognize Signs of Identity Theft

  • Unauthorized account activity.
  • Bills for services you didn't use or sign up for.
  • Medical/insurance benefits that have been maxed out.
  • Credit report errors.
  • Newly issued cards you didn't request or apply for.
  • Collections, debt you don't recognize.
  • Having a credit application denied when you expected it to be approved.
  • Interrupted statements, missing mail.
  • Notifications from the IRS or Social Security Administration indicating errors, or showing info you don't recognize (e.g., earnings, employers, etc.).
  • An unexpected warrant if someone impersonated you and committed a crime.

9 Ways To Protect Your Personal Information

  1. Shred bills, statements, credit card offers, and other financial papers that have account numbers, names and addresses associated with them. Consider choosing eStatements for your BECU and other financial accounts.
  2. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA requires a password and at least one other identifying factor to log in—such as a fingerprint, or entering a code from a text, email, or authentication app. It can stop most hackers from using stolen passwords.
  3. Don't click suspicious links. If you receive a strange link, always think twice before clicking it. BECU will never send a link in a text message. Visit our Member Account Security page to learn more about how BECU will and won't communicate with members.
  4. Change passwords often. Create and use strong and unique passwords. Consider using a password management service to ensure it is encrypted and your password is unbreakable.
  5. Don't distribute personal information. Be careful with how you send personal information over text and email.
  6. Wipe your data from computers and phones. Destroy any information stored on old computers and mobile devices before you sell or recycle them by performing a factory reset or removing and destroying storage drives and devices. Simply deleting files does not permanently remove them from the hard drive. Learn more.
  7. Don't use public Wi-Fi or hotspots. They're not secure. Assume anything you do on public Wi-Fi is visible to the world.
  8. Turn off Bluetooth when not in use, so a thief can't link to your device.
  9. Don't trust caller ID. It can be spoofed to display whatever bogus information criminals want. It's a sneaky way to make you believe the call is legit.

5 Steps To Take Immediately if Your Identity Is Stolen

  1. Notify any affected financial institutions. As soon as you suspect one of your accounts may have been compromised, contact the financial institution(s) immediately. Quick action may save you from being liable for any unauthorized charges.
  2. Consider a credit freeze. A credit freeze gives you maximum control over who has access to your credit — including lenders and creditors.
  3. Change your passwords. Include even those accounts that you don't believe have been affected.
  4. File a police report. Provide police with a list of all compromised accounts and any supporting documents you can. Also, consider reporting the crime to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and give a copies of those reports to the police.
  5. Flag your credit report. Call the three credit reporting agencies and request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit file. It helps ensure thieves can't open any fraudulent accounts in your name.

Stay Vigilant

Recovering from identity theft takes time. Continue checking your accounts and monitoring your credit report. Check with services you use such as TurboTax, AAA and your home or auto insurance to see if they offer identity theft protections and assistance. And most importantly, be patient. If you need help or have questions, BECU is here for you.

Related Resources