Vancity Learning Hub

Fraud Alerts

What are fraud alerts? 

Credit card fraud is on the rise. That’s why we’re doing our part to keep our members informed of new and ongoing scams that could put your identity at risk. To safeguard your financial wellbeing and ensure your credit card information is always protected, you can now receive fraud alerts whenever suspicious activity is detected.

Here’s how it works.  

If you’re a Vancity enviro™ Visa* cardholder, and you have a current phone number and/or email on file with us, you may receive a text and/or email informing you of suspicious activity on your card. You will have 24 hours to reply to the text with either:

  • “1” to verify the transaction and unblock the card immediately, or
  • “9” to confirm fraud. In this case, your card stays blocked—you must call Card Services at 1-833-470-5355 so we can investigate and file a fraud report.

Please note that your initial transaction may still be declined, even if you’ve confirmed it by texting “1” or “9.”

If you only receive an email alert (and not a text alert), it’s likely that we don’t have your phone number on file. In this case, you’ll need to call us at 1-833-470-5355 to unblock your card.

At this time, you are unable to confirm your purchases and unblock your cards via email. We encourage you to update your phone number for future security alerts.

Credit cards can be blocked for a variety of reasons. If you have questions about why a block was placed, please call Card Services at 1-833-470-5355 for more information.

Here’s what our fraud alerts look like: 

 

Benefits of setting up fraud alerts: 

  • Convenient: You can receive fraud alerts—anytime and anywhere—to notify you of suspicious activity.
  • Safe: If we do not receive a response, or you text “9” to confirm fraud, your card will remain blocked. You will then have to call us at 1-833-470-5355 so we can investigate and file a fraud report.
  • Fast: Your credit card will be blocked as soon as suspicious activity is detected. It can also be unblocked immediately when you verify the transaction is not fraudulent.
  • Control: Avoid any inconvenience caused by an unnecessarily blocked transaction—just reply to our text alert and regain access immediately.

Protect yourself from fraud. 

Scammers are getting more creative every day. We understand it can be difficult to determine when a message from Vancity is legitimate. But here are some helpful tips:

  • Vancity will never direct you to suspicious, unassociated websites that ask for your personal banking password, CVV, Visa* number, expiry date, or one-time passcodes. 
  • If in doubt, please call us back using the number on the back of your card.

Opt out any time. 

To stop receiving Vancity’s credit card fraud alerts, simply reply “STOP” via text. You will be opted out of these text message alerts but will continue to receive promotional marketing emails and other alerts.

Please note that if you have other alerts set up through Manage my Visa* card or online banking, you will need to opt out of those alerts separately, even if you’ve replied “STOP” for fraud alerts.  

Fraud Alert FAQ. 

aAll types of transactions (such as tap, pin, chip, online, and point of sale) could trigger fraud alerts.

  • The last 4 digits of your Vancity enviro™ Visa* number.
  • Merchant name. 
  • Purchase amount. 
  • If you reply “9” via text message, or receive an email alert from us, our priority phone number of 1-833-470-5355 will be displayed in the message.

The primary cardholder, account administrator, or authorized users will receive fraud alerts. If you’re an authorized user, but don’t have a phone number or email associated with your Visa* account, the primary cardholder will receive the alert.

  • You will receive an email from visa_alert@alert.vancity.com.
  • You will receive a text message from 79624.

No, there are no charges associated with these alerts.

  • If you’re able to receive incoming texts internationally, then you should continue to receive these alerts. Incoming texts are based on your cell phone provider.
  • If you’re not able to receive incoming texts internationally, you can still receive fraud alerts via email.

If you enter the wrong number by accident, you will receive an automated response that will require you to call us at 1-800-611-8472 for assistance.

You have 24 hours to respond to the text message fraud alert. If you don’t respond within 24 hours, your credit card will remain blocked. You must call Card Services at 1-833-470-5355 to remove the block or confirm fraud and issue a replacement card.

  • We will text you from this short code 79624 and include the last 4 digits of your Vancity enviro™ Visa* card.
  • You will receive an email from visa_alert@alert.vancity.com.
  • Vancity will never direct you to suspicious, unassociated websites that ask for your personal banking password, CVV, Visa* number, expiry date, or one-time passcodes.
  • If you’re ever unsure if a call or message is legitimate, please call us using the phone number found on the back of your enviro™ Visa* card.

No, you will not receive an alert every time your account is blocked due to suspicious activity.

You don’t have to opt in to receive fraud alerts, while credit card alerts can be set up manually through Manage my Visa* card or online banking.

No, you cannot reply to the email. You can only reply to our text messages at this time. We encourage you to log in to Manage my Visa* card, or call us at 1-833-470-5355, to update your phone number on file if you think your information is not up to date.

  • You can only opt out of fraud alert texts. If you opt out of these alerts by replying “STOP,” any credit card associated with your phone number will be opted out of fraud alerts only.
  • You’re not able to opt out of email fraud alerts. If you choose to use the unsubscribe link on our fraud alert emails, this will only opt you out of promotional marketing emails. Other transactional email alerts set up on Manage my Visa* card will not be impacted, unless you log in to directly deactivate those alerts.

Please use the number on the back of your credit card or call us at 1-833-470-5355 to opt back in.

Related posts:

How do I set up online banking alerts? What is Apple Pay and how can I use it? How do I use Apple Pay to pay in stores? What will I see if my Apple Pay transaction is declined?
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