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CALHOUN – Bowater Employees Credit Union member Devin Caylor actively prevented fraud on his debit card by signing up for, and paying attention to, VISA Purchase Alerts, a free service.

Mr. Caylor received a text alert for a purchase of $99.58 at a Florida store.  He wasn’t in Florida making purchases – he was in Athens, Tennessee. In response to the alert, Caylor contacted our Athens branch who quickly blocked the card.

“I feel it honestly saved them from getting 3-4 times the money. I actually got 2 or 3 more alerts shortly after talking to you guys and having the card turned off…. it really lets you act on an issue almost as soon as it comes up,” said Caylor.  And he was right – Bowater Credit Union’s plastic card department confirmed that the criminals tried to make several more purchases that were blocked thanks to Caylor’s quick action.

VISA Purchase Alerts are a free service to any VISA cardholder.  Bowater Credit Union members can register their debit card, as Phillips did, or their Classic VISA Credit Card.  The cardholder can elect to receive a text, email, or both whenever a purchase is made.  If the cardholder gets an alert for a purchase they didn’t make, they can immediately block their debit card and prevent further fraud, as Caylor did.

For more information about VISA Purchase Alerts, visit https://usa.visa.com/pay-with-visa/featured-technologies/purchase-alerts.html.  For information about  Bowater Credit Union’s card programs, call Bowater CU at (423) 336-7268 or visit www.bowaterecu.org.
Bowater Employees Credit Union is a federally insured credit union offering savings, checking, loans, and financial education to those who live, work, or go to school in the counties of Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and Polk.  They have five branches, over 18,000 members, and $150 million in assets.  To learn more about Bowater Employees Credit Union and its services, call (423) 336-7268 or visit www.bowaterecu.org.