Fraud Prevention Guide

from the security experts at United Community

Stay Alert. Stay Safe.

With so much of our lives online, we're all potential targets for fraud. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself--and at United, our first priority is keeping your personal information safe. Learn more about fraud in our Online Fraud Glossary and use the resources below to recognize, prevent, and report potential scams.

Fraud Webinar: Proactive Payments Fraud Protection

In 2023, 80% of organizations surveyed¹ were targets of an actual or attempted payments fraud attack. If your business makes payments using checks or ACH, you’re susceptible to these attacks—but there are safeguards you can implement today to prevent fraud before it happens.

Hear from a panel of experts about those protective measures, how to keep your business safe, and the services we offer at United to help you prevent fraud.

Emily Dixon | Treasury Solutions Officer, United Community
Alison Townsend | Director of Treasury Management, United Community
Wayne Wright | Lead Corporate Security Investigator, Duke Energy & Retired Federal Agent

Watch On-Demand More About the Series

Protect Yourself from Text Message Scams

Recently, there’s been a surge in text scams that seem to come from legitimate fraud prevention centers. Here's how it typically works: You get a text message asking you about a suspicious purchase or, asking you to validate an unusual purchase. Once you say no, you immediately get a call asking you to verify yourself with sensitive information like debit card details, PIN numbers, or even your digital banking login credentials.

Don’t take the bait—this scam can be convincing, but you should never share information like logins, codes, or PINs over the phone—and a real banker won’t ask you to. If you receive a call and you’re in doubt, hang up and call us at 1-800-UCBANK1 (1-800-822-2651).

More Details to Know

daughter showing parents how to use Zelle safely

Using Zelle® Safely

Zelle® and other peer-to-peer payment systems, like Venmo and Cashapp, are convenient tools and easy ways to quickly send money between people. Because of this, you should be absolutely sure that you know and trust who you're sending you money to before you click 'send'.

Scammers can impersonate banks and people you trust to try and convince you to send them payments through peer-to-peer payment systems like Venmo, Cash app, and Zelle®.

Online Shopping Safety Tips

In the US alone, there are 2.1 million online retailers. It can be overwhelming to decide what to buy, much less to distinguish what retailers you can trust. But shopping online is a great way to avoid the crowds without leaving your home—and you can do it safely. Check out the following steps you can take to protect yourself and your money online.

Learn More Safety Tips

Will your password hold up against a hacker?

In our increasingly digital world, passwords have almost become an afterthought. We use passwords for everything from credit card accounts to social media, but when was last time you really considered the strength of the passwords you use?

Check My Password Best Practices

Think you've been scammed?

Report your experience to us immediately.
1-800-UCBANK1 (1-800-822-2651)

Have questions?

Our team members are dedicated to you, and they can provide the support and resources you need.
Schedule an appointment at your local branch or give us a call at 1-800-UCBANK1 (1-800-822-2651).

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Prevent Fraud with These United Services

Card Controls

Establish spending limits, set alerts, turn your card off and back on again, and view your spending insights within online and mobile banking.

Learn More

MasterCard ID Theft Protection™

Your United Community MasterCard debit card comes with identity theft monitoring and support from a team of identity theft resolution specialists, free of charge.

Enroll Today

Zelle®

Split the cost of a gift or send money to your friends and family with Zelle®. When you use Zelle® within United’s mobile app or online banking, your information is protected with the same technology we use to keep your bank account safe.

Learn More

eStatements

Protect yourself from mail theft and get your bank statements sent directly to your email.

Learn More

Bill Pay

Pay all your bills in one place, without having to log in to every vendor’s website and remember all your usernames and passwords.

Learn More

Helpful Resources

Beware of Fake Check Scams: How to Spot and Protect Yourself from Fraud

Fake checks continue to be one of the most common instruments used to commit fraud against consumers. Before you deposit a check you weren’t expecting or wire funds to an unknown recipient, here is what you should know.

Read Article

business woman being proactive against fraud

Proactive Payments Fraud Prevention

Fraud is a critical challenge facing businesses and banking today, and payments fraud is a rising threat that impacts all forms of payments: wires, ACH, and checks. Our Treasury Management team hosted a webinar to discuss recent trends, real-life examples of payments fraud, and how fraud prevention services offered by United can help.

Read Article

Preventing Business Email Compromise

Business email compromise (BEC) is one of the most prevalent and financially damaging cybercrimes. Learn about the latest trends in business email fraud, how to recognize and prevent it, and practical ways you can keep your business protected.

Read Article

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Source: 2024 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey

Zelle® and the Zelle® related marks are wholly owned by EarlyWarningServices, LLC and are used herein under license.