When many credit unions were figuring out how to protect their institutions and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, several credit unions decided to take decisive action to support the members outside of their institutions' walls. With the pandemic creating a perfect storm of vulnerability for many members, especially older members, it was apparent that everyone was facing an avalanche of attacks.

Some credit unions have boldly stepped up their commitment to help members in this unique and unprecedented time by providing them with services that protect against the tidal wave of identity theft and fraud building around them. Members saw these highly effective and protective services, which were included with their checking accounts for just a nominal monthly fee, as an added value from their credit union. Typically, these new protective services' retail value was worth at least 10 times more than the account level fee, which resulted in member acceptance rates of over 90% – thus generating non-interest income as well.