The Bottom Line
Small business is important to Central Oregon, and to Mid Oregon. Find tips and resources for business, and information about Mid Oregon’s commercial services and business members.
Protect Yourself: Security and Fraud Center
Protect Yourself: Security and Fraud Center
Part 6 of our series highlighting the newest and best features of our recently upgraded website, Security and Fraud Center, is our “Website Wednesday” feature this week. Read about our previously highlighted features.
Mid Oregon Credit Union has a web-based resource that will help you educate yourself on the risks and prevention of fraud. In our ever-changing world of technology and money management, you need up-to-date information and resources to protect yourself. From the www.MidOregon.com homepage click on the “Resource” icon in the top navigation bar and select “Security Alerts” to go to the Security and Fraud Center.
Here you can find up-to-date security news, education, and alerts. Stay informed about the latest fraud risks, and more importantly be aware of what you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim. The page allows you to find relevant information in a variety of ways.
Search by Topic
On the right side of the page section are four topical tabs: News & Alerts, Your Security, Scams & Phishing and Mobile Devices. Clicking on one of the tabs reveals a list of timely articles within that topic. Selecting an article will produce easy to read & informative posts of short to medium length. At the bottom of the article is a section on “Related Topics” if you want to learn more.
Current available articles include “Arming Yourself Against Cyber Attacks”, “Shifu: Cuddly Cartoon Character or Dangerous Trojan”, “Online Banking Credentials are the Top Phishing Target by 300%” and “Phishers Going After PayPal Credentials”.
Watch Video Quick Tips
In the top right of the page section is a “Watch Video Quick Tips” button. Clicking on this will open a 30 second to one minute video on a relevant security topic. You can watch additional short videos by following the “Watch Another Quick Tip Video”. In our fast paced world we often rely on brief packets of information, and video is an interesting way to keep up. Some video topics available include #78 on Fake ATM Awareness and #37 on Email Attachment Risk.
More Education Options
There is a “More Education Options” drop down menu which includes the tabbed topics mentioned above and some additional ones: “Security Education Videos”, “Corporate Account Security”, “Identity Theft Information”, “Test Your Security Knowledge”, “List of Major Breaches’ and “Mid Oregon Resources and Alerts”. Security Education Videos include longer, more in depth pieces to dig deeper into a topic. Under Test Your Security Knowledge are 4 quizzes which will inform you while assessing your knowledge on those topics.
Fraud Alerts
In the space above the other information but below the page description current alerts will be displayed. Today, there are no alerts but checking back periodically will help you know of any right away.
ID Theft Free Workshop Coming Up
On November 19 Mid Oregon will be hosting a free workshop which starts at 6 pm at our East Bend branch called “Identity Theft: Who Has Your Number”. In this workshop find out how we make ourselves vulnerable to identity theft, learn valuable tips on how to protect your Social Security number from fraud, become skilled at spotting phony phishing attacks in your in‐box.
Security and Fraud Center Powered by Stickley on Security
Jim Stickley has stolen credit cards, hacked Social Security numbers, robbed banks, and created fake ATMs. He is an identity thief, but he is no criminal. Fortunately for all victims involved, Stickley is a cyber security expert with over 20 years in the industry who was hired to perform these attacks by corporations testing their security. His job is to find security flaws before the real criminals find them and warn people and organizations about what they can do to protect themselves.
Website Wednesday- Ten Mid Oregon Website Features:
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- Protect Yourself: Security and Fraud Center
- Tools to Help You Manage Your Finances
- Helping you find the right car at the right price-AutoSmart
- Community Involvement- It’s Who We Are
- Financial Calculators
Tammy Gregory Named Manager of Madras Branch
Bill Anderson, Mid Oregon Credit Union’s President/CEO, announced the promotion of Tammy Gregory to Branch Manager. Tammy has been with Mid Oregon since 2009, most recently holding the title of Member Service Specialist Team Leader. In her expanded position, Tammy is responsible for building community relations along with staff and branch operations in Madras.
“I am pleased to promote Tammy Gregory to Branch Manager. She has been a shining star in the organization for years and has been successfully leading her team in Madras. Her expanded role will further emphasize her leadership in the community as well as in the branch”, said Mr. Anderson.
Tammy is highly involved in the local community as a member of the Rotary, MAC Dash, Chamber of Commerce, and many other community events. She enjoys spending time with her family; camping, reading, and watching her kids play sports. As a graduate of Madras High School, she and her family are long time residents of Madras.
Many aspects of Tammy’s work haven’t changed since she joined Mid Oregon leading up to the Madras branch opening in 2009, but have been elevated to a more significant level of impact as the needs of the community and credit union have evolved. “I’m just excited to continue to do the job I love at the credit union”, remarked Tammy. “I feel this is where I need to be and appreciate the communities support.”
Tammy invites you to visit Mid Oregon Credit Union and discover the benefits of being a Mid Oregon member!
Find the Right Car at the Right Price
Helping You Find the Right Car at the Right Price-AutoSmart
Part 8 of our series highlighting the newest and best features of our recently upgraded website, CUDL AutoSmart, is our “Website Wednesday” feature this week. Read about our previously highlighted features.
There are many factors to consider when purchasing a vehicle. Making the right choice of the vehicle, features and options is crucial when making the large investment required for today’s cars and trucks. That is why Mid Oregon has made available the AutoSMART vehicle web tool which can be accessed from the Midoregon.com website.
Several times a year Mid Oregon provides a free educational workshop to help people with vehicle purchasing, “Take the Wheel: Get the Best Car Deal”. Some key factors presented during the workshop include how much car can you afford, educating yourself about the kinds of vehicles and features your might want and learning where to find your vehicle.
AutoSMART Vehicle Web Tool
Here is how AutoSmart helps you answer those questions:
- How Much Car Can I Afford?
- Figuring out your budget for a vehicle is the crucial first step, but next AutoSmart helps you with information about vehicle pricing for different models and options along with actual vehicle selling prices locally
- Another key component is financing. AutoSmart has calculators to determine “What can I afford” and “What’s my monthly payment”, with easy connections to explore Mid Oregon financing
- If you’ve chosen a vehicle make & model you can find existing incentives from the manufacturer
- What Kind of Vehicle and What Features Do I Need? AutoSmart has convenient research functions which allow you to search by vehicle type, by new or used cars and by make and model
- On vehicle make and model pages, you can find trims & options, colors (with vehicle pictures), engine choices, mileage estimates and safety information
- A convenient tool for each make & model to choose your favorite color and explore the variety of options and packages
- There are also handy links to vehicle value guides with KBB.com (Kelly Blue Book values) and vehicle history reports (From CARFAX)
- Where do I find my vehicle?
- On the AutoSmart entry/home page you can search for a dealer by make and zip code, and see what they have in stock if available, including much information about each individual car or truck for sale
- You can also begin your search by make and model and/or new and used
- There is a general search function, enabling you to choose and sort by vehicle condition, type, make, price range, year range and mileage
- In each search mode you can save specific vehicles and can review and compare side by side on virtually every key point
- On the AutoSmart entry/home page you can search for a dealer by make and zip code, and see what they have in stock if available, including much information about each individual car or truck for sale
CUDL stands for “Credit Union Direct Lending”, is a program developed to serve credit union members’ auto buying needs and is provided by CU Direct Corporation.