Red Flag Rules
The Red Flags Rule is an Identity Theft Program that many businesses and organizations must adopt. It is a federal government regulation that is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
The rule applies to “financial institutions” and “creditors.” Under the rule, the definition of “creditor” is broad, and includes businesses or organizations that regularly provide goods or services first and allow customers to pay later. Utilities that bill customers after they have received services, including Northern Wasco County PUD, fall within the statutory definitions of “creditor” and are covered by the rule.
The rule requires us to take steps to protect your identity. When working with customers over the phone or in person, we must ensure the person we are helping is in fact you, the account holder, and not an imposter. In order to ensure no information about your account is given out to the wrong person, we need to ask you questions that only you would know the answer to.
We also take these steps to protect your identity:
- All member information is locked and secured.
- Employees are given training on how to detect and prevent identity theft.
- NWCPUD uses the latest technology to protect information stored in our computer systems.
For more information regarding the government regulation, visit the FTC’s website.
