Alerts

Scam Alert

Please be aware of a new scam involving fraudsters impersonating Amazon employees who place calls to unsuspecting individuals for the purpose of stealing your identity. The caller claims that they are notifying the victim that they have ordered thousands of dollars in products from Amazon in an attempt to scare them into providing personal information. One other method is an Amazon imposter claiming that the victim is owed a large refund, which is also a scam.

Don’t fall for it! Log in to your Amazon account to verify account activity, don’t take someone’s word for it. If you’re ever unsure about someone’s identity, call them back at the official phone number you find on the company website. NEVER call a number that they provide you. These scammers are also trying to get the victims to give them access to the victim’s computer. Never allow anyone to remotely access or control your computer, no matter what they claim.

Please see the below information from Amazon for protecting yourself from these scammers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GRGRY7AQ3LMPXVCV

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

December Skip-A-Pay Is Back!

If you currently have a loan with Shell FCU and meet the qualifying criteria*, your loan payments will automatically be skipped. 

If you wish to opt out now or for future Skip-A-Pay programs click here to complete the Opt Out Form electronically or visit any Shell FCU Branch.

Check your Visa statement message to see if you qualify to skip your December Visa Credit Card payment too!

For more information, please call 713-844-1100.

2020 Annual Meeting Notice

Following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines to safeguard the health of membership, Board of Directors and staff the 83^rd Annual Meeting will be conducted virtually, as permitted in our bylaws.

Shell FCU 83^rd Annual Meeting
Friday, December 11^th at 6:30PM
Visit www.shellfcu.org to access the Annual Meeting

At this time nominations for the Board of Directors are closed. The Nominating Committee submitted the following members for the vacancies on the Board to the membership and there were no other nominations presented by petition.

1. Salma Hartley, 3 year term
2. Chester Servance, 3 year term
3. William White, 3 year term

Because the number of nominees equals the number of positions to be filled, an election will not be conducted by ballot and there will be no motions for nominees from the floor. The Nominating Committee's selection will be elected by general consent at the Annual Meeting. Meetings of the members will be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. No motions are permitted from the floor of the Annual Meeting.

The minutes from the 2019 82^nd Annual Meeting are available in the 2019 Annual Report here. Should you have any questions or suggestions please email annualmeeting@shellfcu.org prior to December 4^th, 2020.

Our focus is the safety of our members, employees and communities we serve. At this time we are planning to hold the 84^th membership meeting in person. We will continue to monitor the CDC’s guidelines and communicate updates in early 2021. If you have any questions please contact us at (713) 844-1100. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

2021 John Garrison Scholarship Now Open!

Shell FCU will be awarding scholarships to 20 deserving 2021 graduating high school seniors. The scholarship is easy to fill out and a simple way to earn some cash to pay for college. You are eligible to apply if you meet the following criteria:

• Must own or establish a Shell FCU savings account in applicant’s name
• Account must be in good standing with a minimum $5.00 balance
• Must be a graduating high school senior in the 2020-2021 school year
• Must plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the US

If you meet these requirements, then you can apply! The John Garrison Scholarship awards were established in 2000 in memory of John Garrison, a dedicated member of the Shell Federal Credit Union Board of Directors. Mr. Garrison served on the Board for over 50 years as a volunteer; his vision and volunteer spirit is still an inspiration for us all. Our hope is that applicants will embrace that same spirit and carry it forward into their own careers and beyond. Submit completed application online or return completed application and required documentation to any Shell FCU location or mail to the address below which must be postmarked by Saturday, January 9, 2021.

To digitally submit your 2021 application click here or to download the 2021 Scholarship Application click here.

Mortgage Application Update

Shell FCU is currently accepting purchase and refinance mortgage applications. Our mortgage solutions offer ideal mortgage financing with low down payment options, no closing cost programs and pick your term solutions. With something to offer everyone, choices include fixed rate purchase and refinance loans for primary residences, second homes and investment properties. Click here for complete details or to apply today! 

Free Weekly Credit Reports

Credit vigilance is important during these unprecedented times. The three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion jointly announced free weekly online credit reports through April 2021.

Previously, free reports were only available once every 12 months. Now, you can access the free weekly credit reports by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com to begin the process.
 

How to get my free credit report

• Visit AnnualCreditReport.com
• Click on “Request your free credit reports”
• Fill out the form, including your name, birthday, social security number, and current U.S. address
• Answer security questions to confirm your identity (you will need to do this step for each credit report)
• Choose which credit reports you want (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion)
• Review each credit report

Your free annual credit report includes all accounts opened under your name as well as the actions you have taken, such as balances and payment history. However, it doesn’t include your credit score.

What should I check when I receive my credit report?

• New accounts that you didn’t open
• Identity errors such as wrong name, phone number or address
• Incorrect reporting of account status including, late payments when you’ve paid on time, closed accounts reported as open or being listed as the owner of an account when you’re just an authorized user
• Incorrect current balance or credit limit

How to dispute a credit report error

• If you see information on your credit reports you believe is incomplete or inaccurate, a good first step is to contact the lender or creditor directly.
• To submit a dispute the fastest way to do so is online. You can also file your disputes by mail. You’ll need to file a dispute separately with each credit bureau.
• You can file a dispute on the following sites:

Equifax: www.myequifax.com
Experian: www.experian.com
TransUnion: www.transunion.com

• To assist with your dispute, you may need to submit documents. The documentation that you will need depends on what information you may be disputing.
• Most dispute investigations are completed within 30 days and you will receive a notification once your investigation is complete.

Mobile Device Scam Alert

Mobile devices are being aggressively targeted by cybercriminals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bad actors are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to prey on good people through “smishing” campaigns. Smishing is the practice of sending text messages (SMS) with the intent to defraud or steal from the recipient. The text messages are usually delivered from a standard U.S. phone number and often contain malicious links that can lead to the installation of malware and viruses that could infect your device, or lead you to a fake financial website in an attempt to gain access to your usernames and/or passwords.

The text messages will generally be frightening or enticing to get the recipient to click the link. Recent schemes that have been reported have been fake advertisements for hygiene products like face masks, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper that infect the device when accessed. Some have claimed to be from companies offering free supplies or money, and others claiming to be from government agencies regarding stimulus payments. Each are simply fraudsters trying to take advantage of the pandemic in order to make money.

If you receive a text message or email with a link from someone you don’t know, please do not click on the link. As always, should you have any questions or concerns we are here to help. Reach out to us at (713) 844-1100, through Secure Chat within Online Banking or send us a private message on social media for assistance. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

Scams Target You – Protect Yourself!

Valued Shell FCU Members – When disaster strikes, there are always those trying to profit from others’ misery. Be careful of these different schemes and stick to trusted sources of information during these hectic times.

INFECTED WEBSITES
Nationwide there have been multiple reports of scammers and fraudsters setting up malware-infected websites with often fake information about the ongoing COVID-19 virus. The goal is to compromise your device and gain access to your credentials. These thieves prey on people searching for more information about how to protect themselves by creating these websites or sending phishing emails trying to convince the victim to give out personal information.

FAKE ONLINE STORES
Others are trying to capitalize on the shortages in local stores by setting up fake online stores with masks, hand sanitizer, and other high-demand items. Only buy from trusted sources and always use caution shopping online.

PHONY CHARITIES
There have been some reports of phony charities set up claiming to be assisting in the fight against the virus. Always research them beforehand, and check places like the Better Business Bureau and services like GuideStar or Charity Watch.

TRUSTED RESOURCES
CDC Coronavirus Information
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/

Texas Department of State Health Services
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/

Please reach out to us at (713) 844-1100 if you have any questions or concerns. Your safety and security are always our number one top priority. As more information is available, we will continue to share details with our membership. We appreciate your trust and your business.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

Beware of Scam Calls

Some members have reported receiving calls stating that their new Visa debit card will not work out of town, and that they should enter their card number on their phone keypad to unlock this access.

This call is NOT initiated by Shell FCU, and you do NOT have to enter your card number into an automated call system to use your card out of town. As part of the activation process we do require the full card number be entered, but only when YOU call US. We will never call you and request the full card number.

We recommend that you use your Shell FCU mobile app to place travel notifications, or call us at 713-844-1100 if you will be traveling.
 
Never give personal information during unsolicited calls to you, and when in doubt, hang up and call us back at 713-844-1100.
 
If you have entered your card number during one of these incoming calls please notify us immediately so we can protect your account.
 
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

Contactless and EMV Payment Security

Contactless and EMV (“chip”) technologies are a giant leap ahead in card security compared to the magnetic stripe. Unlike magnetic strips, they use a cryptographic technology that turns your transaction and card information into a secure code that is only used once. Even if that code was captured, it would have to be decrypted and is only good for the single transaction for which it was generated.

Though contactless cards have the potential to be scanned by a fraudster using a non-contact reader, your name, three-digit security code, PIN, and other information would not be available to them. Contactless payment methods currently also have one of the lowest fraud rates of any type of card transaction.

Visa's Zero Liability Policy guarantees that you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your debit card. You're protected if your Visa debit card is lost, stolen or fraudulently used, online or offline. If you experience unauthorized transactions, notify Shell FCU immediately. For specific restrictions, limitations, investigative and other details, please ask a Shell FCU representative.

Along with this added security, there are multiple layers of fraud prevention built into the debit card system, from the card itself, to the terminal it is inserted in, to the processing network the transaction is sent through. Using real-time analytics and artificial intelligence, your transactions are monitored and stopped instantly if the system detects anomalous payments.

Rest assured that you are protected every step of the way. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

References:

Visa - https://usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/security/how-visa-secures-contactless-payments.html

Shell FCU Contactless Payments Video - https://youtu.be/AfMOfglpjmM

Save Up To $15 on TurboTax Federal Products

Save on TurboTax and get a chance to win $25k! As a Shell FCU member, you can save up to $15 on TurboTax — the #1 best-selling tax software. With TurboTax, you’ll get your taxes done right and your biggest possible refund — plus a chance to win $25,000!

Start TurboTax For Free Today!

Stay Password Protected

Would you tell a deep, dark secret to a perfect stranger? Or if someone knocked on your door claiming that they wanted to give you a present soon, would you give them a key to your house so they could drop it off later? Probably not, right? Well every day thousands of scammers are working to convince you to do just that, but with your online banking username and password.

Many scams today are based on gaining access to your online banking, whether they are claiming to be tech support, a loan company, or someone who just wants to “help” you. Rest assured, no legitimate company or person will EVER need your username and password. Never give out your credentials, no matter the reason they give. And if you have given out your username and password to someone, please call us at 713-844-1100 as soon as possible so we can secure your account and keep your money safe.

Remember, your password is secret, and no one else should ever have it.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you!