Down in our southernmost branch, one of the faces you see when you walk in the door is Cindy Wald. Cindy recently celebrated her seventh anniversary with Dakota West, a change that gave her the opportunity to stay in one place.
“I was working out of town when I applied. When I was hired, I was so glad to have no more travelling for work.” Her previous work in the financial industry gave her a quick start that helped make her a valuable part of the Member Services team in Bowman.
While this year has been topsy-turvy for many folks, it has brought Cindy a special excitement that she’s enjoyed thinking ahead and planning: she recently got married! During their engagement, she and her fiancé focused on spending time camping and fishing on Lake Oahe rather than fretting over the details. We couldn’t be happier for her!
For our members who live in the Bowman County area, you might also recognize Cindy as the BINGO caller at Windy’s. She’s been enjoying her opportunity to meet people throughout the community in this way for almost as long as she has worked at Dakota West.
Even if you don’t visit our Bowman branch, you might hear her voice as she helps all of our members by phone, regardless of their location. She often shares with our members bits of information they may not have known, such as the advantage of shared branching outside of the Dakota West region and the fact that our mobile app provides all the same features as many big banks.
Next time you are in the Bowman region, stop by and say, “Hello,” to Cindy, or maybe you can holler, “BINGO!”
Securing Your Identity
Co-Op Shared Branch Network recently shared instances in Michigan of reported fraudsters impersonating members and attempting to change personal information on member accounts to gain access to personal information and online accounts. Securing your personal information requires vigilance by Dakota West and its members. 45% of fraud victims detect the activity themselves.
At Dakota West, we already take steps to ensure requests to change personal information come directly from our members. To update your personal information (address, phone number, email address) members need to visit a branch in person, complete DocuSign verification sent to the email on the account, or log in to your online access to authenticate your identify through the three-tiered verification system.
Members should also be alert to scams that attempt to obtain personal information from you via text or phone. When Dakota West sends alerts regarding potentially fraudulent activity on your account, we do not include requests for your personal information, such as card numbers, PINs, CVV codes, or expiration dates. To learn what types of messages our members can expect from us, please review our Debit and Credit Card Security Services information.
As a best practice, if ever you question if someone identifying themselves as being associated with your credit union or financial institution by email, text, or phone, call Dakota West directly at 800.411.7590. Do not click on email links to websites or to phone numbers within emails or text messages. Never share personal information about yourself or your accounts. We continue to do all we can to protect you and your information, and want to make sure you are equipped to protect yourself, too.
