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News Archives
Posted: 8/12/2011
Six Flags New England
1 day admission tickets available for purchase
$28 per ticket
Tickets can be upgraded at the park to a Season's Pass for $24.99
Posted: 8/12/2011
The Big E!
September 16th - October 2nd
Discount tickets
for use on ANY fair date!
Tickets available until Monday, September 12th, 2011
Only $12 per person!
Call us today to purchase your tickets.
Posted: 4/12/2010
Simply go to www.hpecudiscountpower.com and click Enroll Now! Enter your information to receive a lower generation rate on the supplier portion of your bill.
Posted: 3/6/2009
A Credit Union member recently received a phone call saying that his ATM card had been deactivated. The automated message prompted him to enter his 16-digit card number to reactivate his account. This phone call was not from the Credit Union!
This phone call is a scam, trying to get people to enter in card information that can be used later to make fraudulent purchases. The message does not mention the Credit Union specifically, but remains vague because it is meant to grab as many unsuspecting victims as possible! This way, the thieves can reach more people at different credit unions or banks with one message.
The phone number was 1-(978) 529-1456. The only information we could find on the internet about this phone number is that it’s a private landline in
Luckily, our member didn’t punch in his card number! Instead, he called the credit union’s administrative office to ask about the phone call. Credit Union staff would never call and ask for your card number or account information. We may need to ask you questions to verify your identity when you call our office, but that is a measure to protect your account. Please keep an eye out for scams and protect your personal information.
Posted: 2/4/2009
UPDATED 2/20/09 at end of article!
On January 20th, we were notified by VISA
As you may know, the Credit Union and other financial institutions throughout the
If projections are true, this could be one of the largest card data breaches ever reported. Already, experts expect it to be much larger than the TJ Maxx compromise. Heartland is the
Heartland has already begun issuing alerts through VISA containing card numbers that may have been accessible to the thieves. The Credit Union is blocking any cards that may have been compromised and generating new card numbers for these members. No other account information or personal information is encoded on VISA Debit or VISA Credit cards. When the stolen card number is blocked, the thieves have no access to Credit Union accounts or personal information.
Heartland has made a web site briefly explaining the data breach called: www.2008breach.com
2/20/09 Three Florida men were arrested in connection to the Heartland Data Breach! The trio attempted to rack up about $100,000 in actual and attempted purchases using fradulent gifts cards encoded with stolen card data. This does not mean the actual thieves have been caught, but hopefully there will be more leads soon. For more information enjoy this article by Jaikumar Vijayan.
Posted: 10/14/2008
The Post Office at 141 Weston Street is currently experiencing a power outage. Unfortunately, this effects our branch office located inside. Since there is no electricity in the building, the branch will be closed today, but our administrative office in Wethersfield will remain open. Our staff will be able to assist you with transfers and issuing checks, although we are unable to take deposits. All calls made to the branch will be directed to the administrative office for the rest of today.
Post office officials have informed us the power outage will take 12-24 hours to fix. We should be operating as normal tomorrow morning. The Credit Union will relay any new information on the status of the branch location as we receive it. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Posted: 2/6/2008
Power has been restored to the central Bill Pay facility and support staff will resume usual operations this evening.
Original Report: While all transactions are unaffected, the company that provides our Online Bill Pay service is recovering from a tornado that damaged their operations facility. All customer support services will be delayed due to the damage, but Live Chat is the quickest way to contact support. They are slowly increasing staff back to normal capacity. If you are using Live Chat for customer support, please expect delays in service. You can call (866) 405-1652 for customer support. You must leave a message and the company will get back to you with help for any questions you may have as soon as they can.
Thank you for being patient with the temporary delay in customer service. Our thoughts are with the people who live and work in the disaster area in this difficult time.
Posted: 12/21/2007
Posted: 11/29/2007
The telecommunications industry is riddled with corrupt individuals who have found loopholes in the billing system that can cost you hundreds of dollars each year. If you don’t check your phone bill, you can be paying for fraudulent services you never requested or received.
Since the business is so vast, smaller companies are forced to use billing aggregators that relay the charges for their services to your AT&T account, Verizon account, etc. Unfortunately, since this area of telecommunications is poorly regulated, many scam-artists are able to make fake companies with fake products and sneak the charges on your phone bill! The only information they really need to know about you is your telephone number.
Look over your telephone bill carefully each month! One member found charges for over $15 on the last page of her AT&T phone bill. A voicemail service that she never ordered was listed under Current Charges for a company she had never heard of called MyIProducts Imail, LLC. The billing company was listed as Enhanced Services Billing, Inc. After looking back at her old phone bills, she realized they had been charging her this bogus fee for almost 2 years!
Other consumers have been billed for phony voicemail products, Internet services and equipment for telephones. It’s important that all members remain vigilant for fraudulent charges. If you see an unauthorized charge on your telephone bill, the first thing you must do is contact your telephone provider and let them know you were billed for products you didn’t authorize and you didn’t receive. In most cases, they will tell you that you need to contact the billing company through the number on the invoice by the company name (like Enhanced Services Billing, Inc. or Zone Charges, Inc.). For some reason, these two companies have the same telephone number. Beware of calling the companies and remaining on hold for hours. If the company is not responding to your call during business hours, send them a letter refuting the charges, certified mail, return receipt requested, and contact the Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov and the Federal Communications Commission www.fcc.gov.
Sometimes the process of getting your money back takes time. The worst thing you can do is refuse to pay your bill! Doing so could damage your credit or make you lose the use of the utility. Remember, don’t blame AT&T or your telephone company. They are forced to bill you for products from smaller companies indiscriminately.
As always, your credit union will be glad to help you in any way we can with this matter. Remember to check our web site periodically for updates on the latest scams so no one will be able to take advantage of you.
Posted: 10/26/2007
10/26/07
Today, I checked my personal e-mail, only to see a letter from the IRS! At least, it said it was from the IRS. It was actually a reported phishing scam group, trying to get me to send them my personal information with the promise of a tax refund! Right away, I figured I should let the members of the Credit Union know about this scam.
Here is a copy of the e-mail.
If you receive an e-mail like this one, please do NOT click on any of the links! Please do not reply to the e-mail with any personal information. This is a scam.
If you want to authenticate an e-mail like this, simply call the IRS and ask about your tax refund. They will tell you the status of your account. Plus, this is a great way to let the IRS know of the scam so they can help combat it.
HPE Credit Union staff will keep you posted on each and every scam we hear of right here on www.hpecu.org. We want to make sure our members, and their identities, stay safe!
Posted: 10/1/2007
Join the credit union between November 1st and January 31st and we’ll put the first $5 in your account, so you don’t have to worry about an initial deposit! Just fill out the membership application and return it the HPECU with a clear copy of your I.D. We’ll take care of the rest!
Sign up for Direct Deposit or a Payroll Allotment of $10 or more, and we’ll give you ANOTHER $5.
Now is the time to join!
Posted: 8/31/2007
Your credit union wanted to give all members access to their Check Images without having to sign up and request it. So we added it to our Online Banking feature. Now all members can pull up images of the checks they've written right in the Online Banking account!
You haven't signed up for Online Banking yet? That's not a problem. Fill out this application and send it in as soon as possible so we can get you started!
Posted: 8/10/2007
Our Bill Pay program has successfully launched! Not only is it up and running, but we've tested it to make sure it works perfectly. Now any HPE Credit Union member with a checking account and online banking can let someone else do the work for them. Let someone else print out your check. Let someone else stuff the envelopes. Let someone else pay for postage.
After placing a survey on our web site, we found that 93% members polled said they would like us to initiate a Bill Pay service. So we did. HPE Credit Union has made a free Bill Pay program that will save members time, money and a lot of grief! All members with a checking account will be able to use our Online Banking program to access Bill Pay- for free.
Here is a demo version of the program, so you can familiarize yourself with it, if you'd like.
Our free Bill Pay program let’s you quickly and easily see all your expenses in one place and make a schedule for payment that will allow you to spend less time on paying your bills each month. Once you set up your list of payees, paying all your bills takes just a few moments. That sure beats sitting with the checkbook, trying to figure out where and when each bill should be sent out. Bill Pay is free, because you shouldn’t have to spend money to pay your bills. Let someone else spend the money printing out your check and paying to have it mailed. Think of the money you’ll save on stamps and envelopes each month!
Log in to your online banking and click the "Pay My Bills" button. If you are not signed up for free online banking, you can download an application right here on our web site by clicking the "Forms and Applications" menu. Mail the application in or drop it off at our branch office and we will send you temporary log-in information within a few days so you can get started and personalize your account.
Once you’re inside your online banking account and click "Pay My Bills," you simply enter in the contact information for any companies or persons that you need to make payment to. Schedule payments for certain dates or use "Quick Pay" to ask for payments to be made on the next possible withdrawal date. You can set automatic payments for recurring bills that are always a certain amount (like mortgage or rent payments) or you can change the amount sent each month after you get your varying bill. This is for balances that change month to month, such as utility bills, because all you have to do is enter in the amount each month.
It is suggested to leave at least 5 business days between the withdrawal date and the due date to make sure the company receives the funds on time. This is to ensure that companies which don’t accept electronic payments (the majority of companies don't accept electronic payments) will be able to receive the check we send through the U.S. mail and process it by the time your payment is due.
You’ll be able to modify your Bill Pay account anytime you need to, because in a changing world, HPE Credit Union wants to change with its members. We do that by offering you the most innovative, user-friendly services we can come up with! So sign up for our free Bill Pay program today and enjoy the time and money you’ll save.
Posted: 7/19/2007
"You’re Pre-approved!" These words make countless people cringe. Many financial institutions and sales companies bear the stigma of sending prescreened offers to as many people as they possibly can for auto loans, credit cards, insurance and anything else they can think of. Many people see them as an annoyance.
Luckily, there is a way to "opt-out" of prescreened offers based on your credit report, or get your name removed from as many companies lists as possible. You can opt-out with the nationwide credit bureaus toll-free at 1-888-567-8688. This should help you avoid most, if not all, unsolicited offers based on your credit report. If you continue to receive unsolicited offers, you should file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov. You can also write to the three main consumer reporting agencies (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) expressing your desire to be removed from their lists.
Here are the addresses to "opt-out" with the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies:
TransUnion Name Removal Option, P.O. Box 505, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Experian Information Solutions, P.O. Box 919, Allen, TX 75103
Equifax Options, P.O. Box 740123, Atlanta, GA 30374-0123
Please remember that you have rights as a consumer. The Federal Trade Commission enforces these rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). All consumers should familiarize themselves with the FCRA and their rights at www.ftc.gov.
Posted: 7/19/2007
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, every twelve months. The three companies- Experian, Equifax and TransUnion- were required by the FTC to make a web site where consumers could request their free credit reports. Go to hpecu.org and on the right side of the page, click on AnnualCreditReport.com for your free credit report. But be careful! Unfortunately, on the bottom of this site, these companies have included links to their own private sites. Do not click on the names of the companies, or you will be redirected to their home sites. Here, if you enter in your information, you will not only get your credit report, but they will also automatically enroll you in a credit-monitoring program for a monthly fee. If you don’t realize this and cancel the service quickly, the company will automatically charge your credit card monthly.
Use our link to AnnualCreditReport.com and directly choose the state you live in where it says, "Start Here." Don’t be fooled. Do not click the words Experian, Equifax and TransUnion in the box on the bottom of the screen. These links will bring you to their individual web sites and when you enter in your information you are automatically enrolled in the costly credit-monitoring services. After clicking "Start Here," you can choose one, two or all three of the companies you would like to request your free credit report from, after entering in your personal information.
HPE Credit Union suggests that since each consumer reporting company is required to give you a credit report every twelve months, you should request your credit report from one institution, wait four months, and request your credit report again from one of the other institutions. Then, four months later, request your credit report again from the third and final institution. Start this four-month cycle over again with the first institution you had received a credit report from twelve months prior. By staggering your requests this way, you will be able to monitor your credit independently, taking advantage of three separate credit reports per year. The report and scores from one company to the next usually do not differ greatly, but you should still see one free report from each company since the companies may have different sources of information. This way you can also spot inaccurate information quickly and protect yourself from identity theft by noticing if the report shows someone is using your personal information besides you.
Please use caution if you try typing annualcreditreport.com in to your browser window. Many fraudulent sites have been created, often as misspelled versions of the web address. To protect yourself, do not give out your personal information on any credit report sites other than annualcreditreport.com and do not respond to emails, pop-up windows or phone calls asking for your personal information. For this reason, we suggest you go to hpecu.org and use the link on the right that we’ve provided.
Remember the information above and do not be taken in by fraudulent sites or "free report" claims that will automatically enroll you in costly programs. Remember your rights. For more information, go to www.ftc.gov.
Posted: 7/19/2007
When your debit card is scanned to make sure there are sufficient funds for a purchase, a temporary hold is placed on money in your account. This money becomes inaccessible until the hold is lifted. So even if you have enough money in the account to cover your purchases, your checking account can be overdrawn if someone tries to process a check you have written. Have you ever tried to make a withdrawal from your checking account and discovered there weren’t enough funds available, even though you knew you had enough money in your account? The problem may have been caused by one of these holds. But don’t blame the merchant! They usually don’t even know they are putting a hold on your account when they check to see if you have sufficient funds. Merchants are allowed to receive pre-authorization for tentative purchases to insure that funds will be available to pay the bill when the time comes. Unfortunately, the hold may remain on your account for several days and cause you a lot of aggravation.
As an example, say you want to purchase gas with your debit card and the pump does not require a PIN (Personal Identification Number). To make sure you will have enough money in your account to pay for the gas you are about to pump, the merchant puts a hold on your funds for a designated amount. This amount can be anywhere from $1 at Chevron-owned companies to $75 at Shell companies. (Don’t get angry at the attendant- they probably don’t even know a hold occurs when they pre-authorize.) Even though you may only put $20 worth of gas on your debit card, the merchant has still designated a hold on a portion of your checking account that might exceed that amount. You cannot have access to those funds until the transaction is processed and the hold can be dropped. While some companies process transactions quickly so holds will disappear from people’s accounts within a few hours, some companies do not. Shell, for example, can place a hold on your account that lingers for up to three business days!
It’s hard enough keeping track of how much money is in your account. Unfortunately, this temporary hold may result in funds being unavailable when you need them. Or even worse, checks could be returned due to insufficient available funds! There is very little the consumer or any financial institution can do to avoid this. It is completely legal for a merchant to designate a portion of your money to make sure they will receive payment for a purchase. In fact, it’s very similar to a practice most credit card users are familiar with. When a person rents a car or a hotel room, the merchant requests a credit card and informs the person that they are putting a hold on the account for the amount of the car or room. Unfortunately, most people don’t know this practice can extend to their debit purchases.
The only guaranteed solution we can offer to make your checks bounce-proof is free overdraft protection with your Hartford Postal Employees Credit Union VISA Credit Card. If you’re approved for overdraft protection, funds will be automatically advanced to your checking account if your account is ever overdrawn for a fee of merely $2. If you are lucky enough to never have your account overdrawn, you will not have to pay a dime for this service. It’s simply a safety net. Funds are advanced in increments of $100 up to your approved Line of Credit at a cost of $2 per advance, regardless of the amount transferred. It’s a small price to pay when you look at the cost of a single bounced check. Especially since a hold like this can make you accidentally bounce multiple checks, each with fees averaging $50 or more. If you already have a VISA Credit Card with the credit union, you can fill out an application for overdraft protection here. If you don’t already have a VISA Credit Card, apply here today, fill out the overdraft protection application and return the forms to get protected right away!
A Credit Union VISA Credit Card with overdraft protection is the only way you can make sure you have a back-up plan in case your account is accidentally overdrawn. No one wants to have insufficient funds or bounce a check due to a poorly designed system. Enroll in our free program just in case.
* Information found on MSN Money
Posted: 5/10/2007
A recent phishing e-mail appearing to be from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), is targeting consumers', and their fear of security relating to the recent TJX Companies data breach. The false e-mail discusses the TJX Companies data breach, which was made public in January. The breach incidents spanned periods from 2003 through 2006. The phish e-mail gives the wrong dates for the breach and says Visa notified NCUA in January about the breach.
The notice warns that "magnetic strip information was being stored and your PIN may have been captured" and "strongly" urges NCUA's "members" to update their information within the next 48 hours.
This false e-mail asked for the recipient to click on a link to verify their credit union account registration. If the recipient proceeded to do so, the link directed them to a false website and asked for their credit union account number and PIN, along with other personal information.
If you responded to such an e-mail and provided any confidential account information, please notify the credit union immediately of the scheme. You should also change your account’s online banking PIN to protect your account.
Loss Prevention Recommendations:
If you receive an unsolicited e-mail alleging to be from the NCUA, take the following steps:
- PLEASE REMEMBER!! Neither NCUA nor HPE Credit Union will ever ask credit union members for personal account information.
- If you ever receive a fraudulent phishing e-mail purportedly from NCUA, you should forward the entire e-mail message to Phishing@ncua.gov.
- Do not open any attachments to the e-mail, in case they contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
- If you have received this, or a similar hoax, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
To learn more about “phishing scams” visit http://www.antiphishing.org
To learn more about protecting your computer from “viruses” and “worms” visit http://www.onguardonline.gov
Posted: 5/9/2006
Put your home to work for you. Make home improvements and repairs using the equity in your home. Find out more about our no-risk home equity lines of credit. Find out more . . .
Posted: 5/9/2006
We understand how important convenience is to you. Perform credit union transactions from your own desktop with our FREE online banking product. Find out more . . .
Posted: 5/9/2006
“Phishing" is a term coined by computer hackers, who use email to fish the Internet hoping to hook you into giving them your logins, passwords and/or credit card information. In all these scams, the phisher first impersonates a legitimate company such as your own internet service provider, or your auction site or a financial institution. In the typical scam, you'll get an email that appears to be from a reputable company. You'll be asked to go to a special site to update your account information. We care about our members - please do not provide any of this information via email.
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