Safe and secure banking
Police Credit Union’s priority is keeping your money safe and secure.
We are committed to creating a secure banking environment for our Members and also denying funding to organised crime.
Read how we’re aiming to make banking safer for the whole community and the steps you can take to better protect your money…
Lost or stolen cards
Lost or stolen cards can be used by anyone with contactless payments to pay for small transactions which do not require a PIN.
WARNING: a lost or stolen card can also be used to complete transactions online. ALWAYS report a lost or stolen card as you soon as you notice it missing.
Report a lost or stolen card by calling us
During business hours: 1300 131 844
After hours: 1300 131 844 and follow the prompts.
Overseas: call the Visa Hotline on +61 2 8299 9101 wherever you are in the world, they process lost or stolen card reports 24 hours a day.
You will need to disclose:
- Your name as it is printed on the card
- Your 16-digit Visa account number or your Member number
How to lock or stop a lost or stolen card using the Banking App
If your card has been misplaced or stolen, you can use the Banking App to temporarily lock it (so it cannot be used) or choose to ‘Stop’ your card permanently and order a replacement card.
To temporarily ‘Lock’ your card:
- Open the Banking App and click on the ‘Cards’ icon on Home Screen or ‘My Cards’ in the main (hamburger) menu
- Select the card you wish to lock
- Click the ‘Lock card’ button that sits directly under your chosen card. Your card is now locked
- You can unlock your card by simply clicking the ‘Lock card’ button again.
To ‘Stop’ and order a replacement card:
- Open the Banking App and click on the ‘Cards’ icon on Home Screen or ‘My Cards’ in the main (hamburger) menu
- Choose the card you want to ‘Stop’
- Click on ‘Need help with your card?’
- Click on the option that best describes your card situation, Stolen or Lost and follow the prompts.
Once you’ve completed the steps, the card will be permanently ‘stopped’ and can no longer be used.
Don’t forget to…
Contact any legitimate merchants who debit your card (i.e. monthly debits for health insurance or gym membership) and give them your new card details.
How we protect you
Police Credit Union is committed to denying funding to organised crime.
Guardian Fraud Protection Service is our comprehensive suite of services aimed at keeping your transactions safe and secure including:
- Monitoring transaction activity.
- Assessing and taking protective action against high-risk or suspicious transactions.
- Researching Australian and international trends in fraud and scams.
- Proactively blocking fraudulent or high-risk transactions where possible.
- Actioning transaction disputes and recovering funds where possible.
We will hold some transactions for review, due to the increases in scam activity, access to accounts/devices being compromised or fraudulently accessed. This will allow you time to detect and question any suspicious transactions. We will sometimes contact you to confirm the purpose and validity of a transaction or a transfer limit increase.
Our Guardian Fraud Protection Service also gives you access to our Guardian Money Back Guarantee which sees us credit your account should you lose any money in a fraudulent transaction. The Guardian Money Back Guarantee applies if you have not directly contributed to the transactions yourself, didn’t participate in fraudulent transactions by providing details and disputed the transactions within a reasonable time frame.
Other security services:
One Time Passwords are randomly created passwords sent via SMS or email, protecting your funds and adding another layer of online security.
Online Banking Update – enhanced security protection. Due to increased malicious activity across the internet, Police Credit Union has introduced enhanced security protection on our Online Banking Login page. You may notice screens like the ones below, especially when logging in from overseas, with the message ‘www.pcunet1.com.au, Checking if the site connection is secure’ and you may be asked occasionally to verify that you are human and not a machine. These enhanced security protections have been introduced to further protect Members’ accounts and should not be a cause for concern.
Visa Secure is a security feature across our Visa cards requesting additional security information before a transaction is approved.
Confirmation of Payee
Confirmation of Payee will be introduced at Police Credit Union soon. This is an industry-wide service that matches the account details entered by a payer with the account details held by the recipient’s financial institution. The payer will be able to quickly see if there is an account match outcome, helping to avoid mistaken payments. Mistaken payments occur when you have sent money to the wrong recipient. These can be difficult and time-consuming to resolve, which is why it’s important to check the accuracy of the details you enter before you send your money.
The aim of Confirmation of Payee is to help safeguard people and businesses from fraud, scams and mistaken payments.
How it works
Coming soon, Confirmation of Payee will be automatically available in Online Banking and the Banking App, you are not required to activate this service.
When you’re sending money to a business or person using their BSB and account number for the first time, Confirmation of Payee will check the account details you’ve entered with the account details held by the recipient’s financial institution and let you know the match outcome – Match, Close Match, No Match or Error.
If you are transferring funds to a personal account, you’ll only be shown the name of the recipient’s account if it’s a Match or Close Match. If the account details DO NOT match, the account name will be withheld for privacy protection.
If you are making a payment to a business account, you’ll be shown the name of the account associated with the BSB and account number you’ve entered, even if it’s not a match.
Knowing this information means you can:
- opt to go ahead with your payment,
- pause,
- check the details again,
- make sure you don’t have a ‘typo’,
- confirm details with the recipient or
- STOP the payment altogether.
While you will still be able to send funds regardless of what match outcome you receive, you should proceed with caution for any outcomes that are not a Match or Close Match.
Remember: you are responsible, at all times, for ensuring that you enter the correct BSB and account number to make a payment, regardless of any Confirmation of Payee service match result. In the event of a scam, funds are difficult to recover, particularly if you are liable for the transaction. Please remember that this service will not stop fraudulent transactions but will allow for you to have extra clarity based on the information available to you.
Benefits of Confirmation of Payee:
- Reduced mistakes with increased accuracy – Confirmation of Payee matches the bank account details you’ve entered with the account details held by the recipient’s financial institution and displays a match outcome, helping you avoid mistaken payments.
- Increased Confidence – feel more confident knowing that your money is heading where you intended.
- Extra protection – Confirmation of Payee can help protect you from scams and sending money to the wrong account like a built-in-check.
- Industry-wide security – all Confirmation of Payee information is passed securely between financial institutions to ensure your data remains safe. Confirmation of Payee is an initiative of Australian Payments Plus, the same organisation that also provides trusted payment services like BPAY®, Osko®, eftpos, PayID®, and PayTo®.
Who can see my information?
When you receive money into a personal account, the person who’s paying you will be shown the account name only if the name they have entered is a Match or a Close Match. If any of the account details are incorrect, the account name will not be shown to protect your privacy.
If you have a business or government organisation account that’s receiving a payment, the name of your account will be shown to the payer, regardless of whether it’s a match or not.
It is important to ensure that your account details are always up to date. Please visit a branch or give us a call on 1300 131 844 if you need to check or change any account details.
Can I opt out of Confirmation of Payee?
You can request to withhold your Police Credit Union account details with the Confirmation of Payee service. If you’d like to discuss this, please contact us on 1300 131 844, visit a branch, email [email protected], or send us a Secure Message using the Inbox in Online Banking and the Banking App.
Find out more
Please read the full Confirmation of Payee Terms and Conditions.
If you have any security concerns, please contact us as soon as you can by calling 1300 131 844. Find out more about how we better protect you and how you can protect yourself.
Additional security questions
As additional security when increasing your daily limit or for certain transfers and withdrawals, our staff may ask you for supporting documents e.g. an invoice or contract, as well as ask questions such as:
- How did you became aware of the payee/seller?
- How do you know if the payee is legitimate?
- Have you physically seen the goods you are purchasing?
- Have you met the payee in person before (not just online)?
- The purpose of the transaction.
- Whether any pressure has been placed on the Member to transfer funds.
Police Credit Union wants to ensure that our Members do not lose money to scams or coercion. In the event of a scam, funds are difficult to recover, particularly if you are liable for the transaction.
High risk online merchants
Risky online merchants are multiplying at an alarming rate, outnumbering trustworthy merchants two-to-one.
These merchants saturate social media with their advertising to find vulnerable new customers every day. We use our extensive experience in flagging and reviewing merchant risks to increase your security when shopping online – saving you time, money, and disappointment.
We generally protect you from these risks by blocking high-risk merchants as we discover them. In this way you are better protected against:
- Unfulfilled orders (goods not received)
- Counterfeit brand goods
- Poor quality goods
- Ineffective or potentially dangerous health products
- Subscription traps where you are continually being charged/billed with a recurring payment, e.g. free trials that turn into regular debit payments.
This also saves you having to dispute transactions with the merchant, and with us.
Some examples of the highest risk merchants are:
- ‘IQ test’ or ‘brain training’ sites – especially if they offer prizes or membership rewards.
- Media sites (movies, music) that feature only old or obscure titles – especially if they offer a ‘free trial’.
- Sites featuring off-brand electronics – especially if they feature bulk discounts or membership programmes.
- Sites featuring bogus ‘health supplements’ – especially those based overseas.
Blocking these merchants helps to maximise protection for all our members. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to you – our intention is to inconvenience dishonest merchants.
Protect yourself
There are a number of ways you can help protect your money.
Protect your PIN
- Take care when entering your PIN, make sure that no one can see it, and if possible cover the keypad with your hand.
- Always memorise your PIN, NEVER write it down (even in your phone)!
- Keep your PIN a secret, even from friends and family. Even from the police. And remember, our staff will never ask for your PIN.
- Changing your PIN from time to time helps protect against fraud.
- Avoid using obvious numbers like digits from your phone number.
- Never choose a PIN based on your date of birth – you will be liable for any resulting fraud.
- Never enter login details in response to a link in an SMS or email. This is particularly important for Apple IDs and Google logins, as they can be used to transact on your card if you have a digital wallet set up.
We decline all mag-stripe and mag-stripe fallback transactions on our cards. This means our cards are protected against counterfeiting, but there is still a fraud risk if your card is lost or stolen.
Protect your accounts
All accounts are at the risk of scams and fraud even if they are not accessed regularly. If you do not require regular access to some accounts, consider these options to reduce your risk:
- Any account that is View Only for Online Banking is protected against fraud and scams.
- Any account that is No Access for Online Banking is not only protected against fraud and scams, but scammers won’t be able to see the funds at all.
These options can be handy for savings accounts (such as iSavings or Focus Saver accounts), since you can have full access to a transaction account while keeping larger balances protected.
You will still receive account updates in statements – and we can provide updates on request, complete one-off transactions on your behalf, or restore your access whenever you require.
Protect your password
Make passwords hard to guess by using a unique combination of letters, numbers and symbols and never using birthdays, phone numbers, addresses or names.
Change your password at least every six months.
Don’t write your password down, especially in your digital devices. If you do need to store it somewhere, a password manager is a great option.
Protect your card
Sign your new card as soon as you receive it.
Keep your card somewhere safe and regularly check that you still have your card.
Remain vigilant when shopping online and check a website’s legitimacy before making a purchase.
It’s ok to disclose your Card Verification Value (CVV) during a transaction if required.
Check your transactions thoroughly – you can do this by looking through your online statements, using Online Banking or reviewing transactions with our Banking App.
Protect your computer
Make it a habit to download security software and operating system updates and back these up by running virus and malware scans.
Don’t click on a link in an email from an unknown source as these could lead to an untrustworthy website or a virus.
Protect your devices
Lock your device with a passcode or finger/face recognition and ensure that your phone’s ‘auto lock’ function is on.
Only install apps from your official app store, never from a link in an email or SMS.
Make sure to regularly implement any system updates to ensure your device stays secure.
Travelling overseas
Overseas travel presents a set of risks, mostly to cards. Here’s some things to keep in mind before heading off on your next trip:
- Please notify us of any travel plans, as this helps us to assess unusual activity on your account and reduces the likelihood of your card being restricted.
- In case of lost or stolen cards – or fraud on your card – have multiple backup options to access funds while overseas, and keep a note of our 24-hour card hotline number +61 8 8208 5761. Lost or stolen cards will still be at risk and must be reported or locked immediately.
- Remember you can always lock and unlock cards for security by using our Banking App.
- Check travel advisories for all your destinations, paying particular attention to banking risks.
We decline all mag-stripe and mag-stripe fallback transactions on our cards. This means our cards are protected against counterfeiting, but may result in some failed transactions at older ATMs which you may encounter overseas.
Make sure to contact us if you’re heading overseas, give us a call during business hours on 1300 131 844, chat to our branch staff or try sending us a Secure Message using your Inbox in Online Banking or our Banking App. We will reply during business hours.
Make a report
If you notice suspicious behaviour, unusual activity, a possible security threat on your account, or for any concerns, please notify us.
During business hours: 1300 131 844
After hours: 1300 131 844 and follow the prompts.
If you are overseas: +61 8 8208 5761
You can also email us at [email protected] or visit your local branch.
Need to dispute a transaction?
If you wish to dispute a transaction, you will need to complete a dispute form. This form can be returned at any branch or by post.
If you’re a genuine victim of fraud, you can get your money back with our Guardian Money Back Guarantee. The Guardian Money Back Guarantee applies if you have not directly contributed to the transactions yourself, didn’t participate in fraudulent transactions by providing details and disputed the transactions within a reasonable time frame.
The Visa Chargeback Process
As a Visa card holder, you have rights under the rules of the Visa card scheme to dispute credit card transactions.
If you believe a purchase was not properly authorised or processed, or there is some other problem, you may have a right to recover the amount of the purchase under the scheme’s Chargeback Rules.
To find out more about this, call us during business hours on 1300 131 844 or visit us in branch.
Contact us and update your details
Have a query? Need to let us know your new details?
We are here to help with any of your queries. It’s also important for us to have your most up to date contact details. We have a range of security controls to monitor your transactions and protect you from fraud. If we detect any suspicious activity we may contact you to confirm the legitimacy of the transaction but we can only do this if we have your current details.
You can update your details in four simple steps:
- Log in to Online Banking
- Go to Settings and select Update Contact Details
- Click Get SMS and enter the One Time Password
- Choose to update your address details or contact details
Alternatively, you can try calling us:
During business hours: 1300 131 844
After hours: 1300 131 844 and follow the prompts.
If you are overseas: +61 8 8208 5761
You can also email us at [email protected] or visit your local branch.
Find out more
To find out more information about current scams, check out the government website, Scam Watch.
To help you spot, avoid and educate yourself on scams, read the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s guide The Little Book of Scams.
Learn more about how you can protect yourself from scams.