FCU News

Jury Scam – Never Give Out Personal Information to an Unsolicited Caller

The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need some information for "verification purposes"-your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number.

This is when you should hang up the phone. It's a scam.

Jury scams have been around for years, but have seen a resurgence in recent months. Communities in more than a dozen states have issued public warnings about cold calls from people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. As a rule, court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with prospective jurors via mail.

The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some information to defuse the situation. With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.

The jury scam is a simple variation of the identity-theft ploys that have proliferated in recent years as personal information and good credit have become thieves' preferred prey, particularly on the Internet. Scammers might tap your information to make a purchase on your credit card, but could just as easily sell your information to the highest bidder on the Internet's black market.

Protecting yourself is the key: Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.

Freedom Announces "Go Green" Quiz Winners!

Congratulations to our “Go Green” contest winners who will receive $250 each: Alaina G. Hunt of Lansdale, Matthew Hampton of Philadelphia, and Joseph T. Sessoms of Lansdowne. Winners took our Quiz to learn more about the environment and were selected at random in a drawing held in May.

Freedom Supports Elementary School Reading Day

For the third year in a row, Freedom Credit Union was a major sponsor of A.M. Kulp Elementary School’s Reading Day, a community-wide project aimed at promoting literacy. On Tuesday, May 6, Freedom Marketing Coordinator Cyndi Cohen read to the 2nd grade class, which is located in the North Penn School District. Nearly 100 members of the North Penn Chamber of Commerce visited classes throughout the region, in 35 public and private schools, to read the designated book to the class and then presented it as a gift to the school library.

Freedom Wins Pennsylvania Credit Union Association's Top Honor

The Pennsylvania Credit Union Association (PCUA) recognized Freedom Credit Union with one of its highest honors, the Desjardins Youth Financial Education Award. The Desjardins Award recognizes a credit union's exemplary leadership in providing financial education to young people and serves as an example for others to follow.

Freedom will receive this prestigious award at the 2008 Credit Union Community Awards, which will be held at PCUA's Annual Conference, May 1-3 in Pittsburgh, PA. The Credit Union will also have the opportunity to compete in CUNA's national competition later this year.

Freedom Credit Union is committed to helping kids succeed and providing financial literacy education to the community it serves. Since 2006, the credit union has given financial education materials to more than 139 classes, reaching approximately 15,000 students. Freedom's focus on education was also a catalyst for creating the "Voices of Inspiration" Award for Teaching Excellence in 2006, an annual award that recognizes twenty-three exemplary educators in Montgomery County.

Freedom Avoids Subprime Lending

A message from the President:

This year, we witnessed the “subprime” mortgage collapse that has caused many banks and lenders to tighten their purse strings and suffer significant losses. As a result, a large number of organizations are limiting consumer lending.

Freedom Credit Union has not made the same mistakes as these financial institutions. We have been able to avoid the housing market turmoil through keeping our Members’ interests first by not offering loans with low teaser rates, which can rise sharply to levels borrowers cannot afford. Freedom’s smart lending practices have been beneficial in keeping our Credit Union strong and allowing us to continue offering loans to qualifying Members. Paired with our low fees and great rates, Freedom is the best choice when considering a loan.

We are a financial cooperative owned by you. We take prudent lending risks, which is why everyone doesn’t qualify for a loan. However, we look at each request and do our best to find a way to make the loan. Sometimes with additional information, we are able to honor the request at the original amount or maybe at a reduced amount.

Our efforts have not gone unnoticed either. This year, we were recognized as a top credit union, receiving the highest mark, by Consumers’ CHECKBOOK Magazine. Credit unions nationwide have also received positive publicity and praise. In Money Magazine’s December issue, Carolyn Bigda reported that credit unions are “The Best Little Deal in Banking” because of their “terrific credit card deals, as well as rates on loans and savings products - something that the megabanks just can’t match.”

Freedom is the best choice when considering a loan. We have plenty of money to lend – with great rates and low fees! So, if you need a loan come see us. If you don’t need us today…we will be here when you do. To check out our great rates or to apply, use this website, call 215-612-5900, or visit any branch.

Lee T. MacMinn
President/CEO