On September 7, 2017, First Alliance learned of a data breach that occurred at Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. First Alliance has a business relationship with Equifax.

We’ve learned that the breach may have affected 143 million Americans, and the data that may have been compromised includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and some driver’s license numbers. In addition, credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 Americans may also have been compromised, along with certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. Consumers. Click here to learn more.

You may also check with Equifax to see if you have been affected. More information is available here.

Due to the sheer volume of data, and the number of consumers that may have been affected, First Alliance is proactively reaching out to you to share with you the measures we’ve put in place to help mitigate risk for all of our members:

1. We strongly encourage members who do not have a password on their account(s), to create one. Once you have created a password on your account(s), transactions via telephone will not be completed without one. For your security, we ask that you visit any one of our four branch locations to set up your password.
2.  If your Driver’s License/Identification card is not on file with the credit union, please consider providing it to us the next time you visit a branch location. We simply scan your ID into our computer system, so that when we pull up your account, we can quickly identify you.
3. We are increasing security at our Member Contact Center. When you call in to the Member Contact Center, we may increase the number of security questions you are asked to help identify you.
4.  Review your account and credit card statements regularly, and report any unusual activity to us right away.
5.  If you are an online banking user, review your accounts regularly and report any unusual activity to us right away.
6. The security measures in place for online banking are very strong. We highly recommend that transactions be completed online rather than via telephone. If you are not an online banking user, contact us and we will help you get registered.
7. We understand that you may be concerned about what may be happening on your credit report, and would like to review it. Unfortunately, financial institutions, including First Alliance, are not allowed to give members their credit reports. To obtain a free credit report, please visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com

8. We have resources and information on our website to help you understand identity theft, and deal with identity theft.

We realize that these heightened security measures may seem like an inconvenience. However, we are committed to protecting you and your accounts, because it’s our job.

Thank you for choosing First Alliance. We will continue to provide updates here and via email. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 507-288-0330.