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Many of our Members are well known to our staff. We recognise their voices because we have served them for many years. Therefore, we also know when someone is trying to impersonate them. Last week, we received a call from someone who was trying to impersonate a Member, whom we happen to know very well. Our staff picked up on it straight away and stopped the scam immediately. Shortly after, the Member contacted us to advise that she had provided her personal information to someone in a suspicious call. We advised the Member that we had stopped the scammer from accessing her bank account. We ceased internet banking access and all banking activities before the scammer was able to access her account online. The following day, the Member visited our branch and updated all of her personal information. She was very grateful that our staff know her so well, and that we were able to pick up on something like this. Every day, we work hard to educate our Members to be wary of suspicious calls from unknown sources. Please remember that we will never ask you for your bank account details over the phone or online. If you believe you have been scammed, please call us on 1300 36 2000 immediately.

We are urging our members to be wary of tax themed scam texts, emails and calls requesting confidential tax information. These scammers often disguise themselves as individuals working for the ATO or other government agencies such as MyGov and urge the recipient of the call, text, or email to make a payment by clicking a link. Common types of Financial Tax Scams include phishing scams, phone scams, identity theft and fake charities. To protect yourself from these scams, please follow the advice from ACMA: Do not click on any links in unexpected texts or emails. Do not provide personal information over the phone. Do not rely on the contact information given by the caller, or within the text or email. Please note: the ATO will never threaten arrest, urge immediate payment of a fine or tax debt, nor will they cancel or suspend your Tax File Number. If you are unsure if a call, text or email is legitimate, please contact the ATO on 1800 008 540. If you are unsure about the security of your account or believe you have been scammed, contact us immediately on 1300 36 2000. For more information, please visit https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2023-07/scam-alert-end-financial-year-tax-scams

A member number is a unique number that identifies you from all other Unity Bank members. An account number is a 9 digit number linked to each different account. When would I need my Member Number? When you log into Internet Banking (also known as User ID) When speaking with our staff, helping us to quickly locate your member profile when assisting you. When would I need to know my Account Number? For companies, government bodies and anyone who makes credits or debits to your Unity Bank accounts you need to quote our BSB number and the 9-digit account number linked to your account. You may notice you have a number with some letters available, for example 123456L1.1. This is your internal account number and can't be used for external credits or debits. How do I find my Account Number? You can locate the 9-digit account number in your Internet Banking by selecting BSB/Account Information from the Accounts menu: To find it in the mobile banking app select the relevant account from the Accounts page, then tap the blue coin symbol (for Savings accounts) or the blue money bag symbol (for Loan accounts) above your account details and it will be listed under “Account reference”. You can also find your account number on your bank statement or eStatement. If you need further assistance, please contact us on 1300 36 2000.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is warning fellow Australians about a high volume of SMS and email scams pretending to be from the ATO. These scams encourage people to click on a link that directs them to fake myGov sign-in pages designed to steal their username and password. Scammers use many different phrases to trick recipients into opening these links. These include (but are not limited to): 'You are due to receive an ATO Direct refund.' 'You have an ATO notification.' 'You need to update your details to allow your Tax return to be processed.' 'We need to verify your incoming tax deposit.' 'ATO Refund failed due to incorrect BSB/Account number.' 'Due to receive a refund, click here to receive a rebate.' The images below are examples of the format this scam can take: Do not open any links or provide the information requested. The ATO won't send you an SMS or email with a link to log on to online services. They should be accessed directly by typing ato.gov.au or my.gov.au into your browser. While the ATO may use SMS or email to contact them, they will never ask you to return personal information through these channels. Report any suspicious contact claiming to be from the ATO to ReportScams@ato.gov.au. Source: "Scam Alerts" https://www.ato.gov.au/general/online-services/identity-security-and-scams/scam-alerts, July 2023.

  Dear Members, It gives me great pleasure to announce some incredibly exciting news. Starting from the 1st of July, Unity Bank will become a participating lender in NSW’s Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper. Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper is an initiative to help lower-income single parents, older singles, and first-home buyers who are key workers realise the dream of owning their own home. Under this program, the government will contribute a proportion of the purchase price in exchange for an equivalent interest in the property. Smaller deposits, no lenders mortgage insurance, and no interest on the Government’s equity share means this initiative is a great option for eligible singles and key workers who no longer want to rent and prefer the security of home ownership. Unity Bank was founded on the principle of supporting everyday Australians. As such, being in a position where we can help those who are struggling to break into the housing market is something we don’t take lightly. For Unity Bank to be selected for Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper from an extensive list of candidates is an amazing achievement and something we should all be very proud of. For me, this acknowledgement is a reflection of Unity Bank’s continual drive and dedication to our members. If you would like further information on NSW’s Shared Equity Home Buyer Helper, or to find out if you are eligible for the initiative, please visit https://www.unitybank.com.au/home-loans/home-pathways-schemes/shared-equity-home-buyer-helper/ With all this in motion and much more to come, 2023 is shaping up to be another stellar year for Unity Bank. We look forward to servicing new and existing members through Shared Equity from the 1st of July. Yours faithfully,Danny PavisicChief Executive Officer

Unity Bank has sponsored the annual MUA Working Waves event for over 20 years. This surfing competition is held over a single day at Norah Head, a surf beach on the Central Coast of NSW and is organised through the MUA Newcastle Branch. It is always enthusiastically supported by members and sponsors, with some competitors travelling from interstate. The MUA retired members have the "Barbie" going all day and it is a great event for MUA members, family, and friends. This year was again a fantastic day out with amazing weather, and fun had by all.