Our DECEMBER Newsletter Is Here!

Great Erie eNews

DECEMBER 2021

Welcome to Great Erie eNews, the monthly e-Newsletter from

Great Erie Federal Credit Union.

From your finances and family to lifestyle and useful tips, your financial co-op is here for you.

Every Christmas the staff of Great Erie supports the Rural Outreach Center (ROC) in East Aurora. The ROC’s mission is to break the cycle of rural poverty in southwestern New York by accompanying people towards self-sufficiency. The ROC assists individuals by meeting acute needs and empowers individuals to become self-sufficient.

During the holiday season, Great Erie's staff adopts a family to purchase gifts for in addition to providing play therapy session equipment and a monetary donation toward the ROC.

Great Erie is a proud supporter of the Rural Outreach Center and all the good they provide for our community.

Two-Way Text Alerts

Our text alert service allows you to instantly keep tabs on suspicious card activity. At Great Erie, we want to make sure that using either your debit or credit card is always as safe and convenient as possible. That's why we use text alerts as part of our ongoing fraud monitoring program.

How it works

With text fraud alerts, if our system detects suspicious activity on your card, you'll receive a text message with details about the suspected transaction. All you have to do is respond to the text to confirm the transaction.

If you indicate the transaction is fraud, you'll receive another message with a number to call for follow-up. If not, you're all set. The system will mark the transaction as legitimate and you can get on with your day - simple as that.

Getting started

If we have your mobile phone number on file, you don't have to do anything. It's really that easy. If there is suspicious activity, we'll send a text alert right away. If you need to verify or update your mobile phone number give us a call at 716.662.1311, option 6, for Member Service.

Apply Online

How Scammers Convince You To Pay With Gift Cards

Scammers pretend to be someone they’re not to convince you to pay with gift cards. They want to scare or pressure you into acting quickly, so you don’t have time to think or talk to someone you trust. Here’s a list of common gift card scams and schemes:

The caller says they’re from the government — maybe the IRS or the Social Security Administration. They say you have to pay taxes or a fine, but it’s a scam.
Someone calls from tech support, maybe saying they’re from Apple or Microsoft, saying there’s something wrong with your computer. But it’s a lie.
You meet someone special on a dating website, but then he needs money and asks you to help him. This romance scammer makes up any story to trick you into sending him gift cards.
The scammer pretends to be a friend or family member in an emergency and asks you to send money right away — but not tell anyone. This is a scam. If you’re worried, hang up and call your friend or relative to check that everything is alright.
Someone says you’ve won a prize but first you have to pay fees or other charges with a gift card. Remember: no honest business or agency will ever make you pay with a gift card. But also — did you even enter that sweepstake?
The caller says she’s from your power company or another utility company. She threatens to cut off your service if you don’t pay immediately. But utility companies don’t work that way. It’s a scam.
You get a check from someone for way more than you expected. They tell you to deposit the check, then give them the difference on a gift card. But that check will be fake and you’ll be out all that money.

If you paid a scammer with a gift card, tell the company that issued the card right away.

Contact information for popular gift card companies:

Amazon

Call 1 (888) 280-4331.

Keep the Amazon card itself and your receipt for the Amazon card.

Learn about Amazon gift card scams and how to report them. Click on “Contact us.”

Ebay

Chat with eBay customer support or have a representative call you back.

Keep the eBay gift card itself and your receipt for the eBay gift card.

Learn more about scams using eBay gift cards and how to report them.

Google Play

Report the gift card scam to Google.

Keep the Google Play card itself and your receipt for the Google Play card.

Learn about Google Play gift card scams and how to report them.

iTunes

Call Apple Support right away at 1 (800) 275-2273. Say “gift card” to connect with a live representative. Ask if the money is still on the iTunes card. If so, Apple can put a freeze on it. You might be able to get your money back from them. Keep the iTunes card itself and your receipt for the iTunes card. Learn about iTunes gift card scams and how to report them.

Don’t see your card on this list? Look for the company’s contact information on the card itself, or do some research online to find out how to reach the card issuer. If you can’t find the contact information or the card issuer doesn’t want to talk to you, report it to the FTC.

Apply Online

Members Doing Great Things

The Orchard Park High School Athletic Department announced the 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees earlier this year.

The selection committee has chosen the following individuals among many student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have contributed to Orchard Park's long and proud tradition of excellence in the area of scholastic athletics. Great Erie would like to congratulate Ron Henning (Class of 1974) for being one of the Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees this year.

The selection of the Hall of Fame compliments each individuals' highly successful athletic career at the Orchard Park High School and their accomplishments beyond their years as a student at the Orchard Park High School.

Ron's athletic participation at Orchard Park included football, wrestling & baseball. His coaching history includes 15 years as a volunteer assistant football coach, 3 years volunteer assistant wrestling coach, and Orchard Park Little League baseball.

"After I was done playing, I really enjoyed helping out at Orchard Park. I witnessed many young men develop into great athletes."

Simple Wishes for the Holidays!

Thank you to all of our Members and non-members that donated to the

2021 Simple Wishes Holiday Campaign this season. Donated items included:

Adult Hats, Gloves & Scarves
Throw Blankets
Large Print Puzzle Books & Crafts
Stuffed Animals

The program is sponsored by Senior Wishes, a local non-profit that grants life-enriching wishes to lower income seniors in WNY.

Senior Wishes volunteers will once again be delivering a wrapped gift and spending time with a needy senior who has little or no family.

Visit Senior Wishes

Banzai Corner

Great Erie FCU has provided Banzai, an award-winning financial education platform, to our area High Schools. Banzai's interactive courses and workshops have helped millions of students prepare for real world finance and gain life-long skills. The curriculum focuses on five main areas:

Budgeting: Learning to create and maintain a budget helps set your child up for success in their financial life.
Borrowing: Understanding the obligations associated with and potential risks of borrowing money will help your child make educational decisions.
Saving: Saving doesn't happen by accident. Students learn to prioritize setting money aside now to reach what they want in the future.
Spending: How do you spend smart? This is the question your child will face as they make decisions in the Banzai modules.
Setting Goals: Practice setting and working toward goals will help your child learn the skills needed in order to reach them.

Great Erie FCU and Banzai are committed to creating healthy economic habits and fostering an attitude of financial wellness for your child's future. To learn more about this program, visit our website!

Play BANZAI!

October 2021 Lucky Savers Account Winner!

Congrats to Maria, our October Lucky Savers Account drawing winner!

In addition to Great Erie's monthly drawings, the State (NYS) prize pool awards monthly drawing winners and quarterly prizes of $500-$5000!

A Great Erie Lucky Savers Account helps build your savings with the chance to add something extra if things go right.

Open your Lucky Savers account today!

Learn More

Win Money For College

Apply For Our 2022 Scholarship!

You're Eligible To Apply If:

You're a college bound high-school senior and a member of Great Erie FCU. Not a Member? Join Today!

Application Deadline

January 7, 2022

2022 Scholarship Opportunities

Holiday Club Account

Deck the halls with a lot more dazzle. By saving year-round, you'll have more money to spend on gifts, decorations, and festive gatherings when December rolls around. Now is the time to open that Holiday Club Account and prepare for the 2022 holiday season.

Learn More

B L O G

Slowed to Crawl

Some items might be difficult to buy this holiday season

Tis' the season for supply chain shortages.

Get a sharper view of your financial picture. Great Erie's Great Track is free online software that provides all the tools you need.

Getting organized has never been easier. All of your accounts - even those at other financial institutions - are in one, easy-to-find place. Create budgets, track and categorize your spending habits, see how much money you have to pay bills and other expenses day-by-day. When it comes to saving and spending, Great Track helps you make better choices.