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Keep Your Holidays Merry & Scam-Free

Published: December 3, 2025

The holidays should be full of joy—not stress. Unfortunately, this is also the season when scammers step up their tricks. At Brewery Credit Union, we’re here to help you stay safe so you can focus on what matters most: celebrating with family and friends.

❌ Common Holiday Scams

🛍 Online Shopping Traps
Scammers set up fake websites or ads with deals that seem too good to be true. Shop only from trusted retailers and check that sites start with https:// before entering payment info.

🎁 Gift Card Schemes
Fraudsters tamper with gift cards in stores—or demand gift cards as “payment.” Buy directly from the cashier and remember: no legitimate business will ever ask for gift cards as payment.

❤️ Fake Charities
Scammers create look-alike charities to take advantage of holiday generosity. Always research organizations before donating through sites like Charity Navigator.

📦 Package Delivery Scams
Beware of texts or emails claiming you missed a delivery. Don’t click the link—track packages directly through the carrier’s website.

✈️ Travel Tricks
Too-good-to-be-true travel deals often mean fraud. Only book through reputable travel sites and avoid wire transfers or gift card payments.

✅ Protect Yourself with Brewery Credit Union

Set Up Account Alerts – Get instant notifications of account activity.
Card Controls at Your Fingertips – Lock or unlock your debit card anytime in our mobile app.
24/7 Member Support – If something doesn’t look right, call us immediately.

💡 Quick Tip: Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is!

From all of us at Brewery Credit Union, we wish you a safe, happy, and scam-free holiday season.

BREWERY CREDIT UNION MISSION STATEMENT

“Providing superior financial service while economically empowering our Members and Community.”

We do our best every day to complete this mission with the greatest member satisfaction and highest quality service.

MEMBER OWNED

We have members, not customers. Brewery Credit Union is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by the member-owners.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT

As a not-for-profit organization, we focus on meeting members needs. This means we take our profits and use them to offer lower loan rates, higher savings rates, and fewer service fees.

PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE

Every day at Brewery Credit Union, you invest in the community and the community invests in you. We lend deposits to members who and work in Southeastern Wisconsin neighborhoods, making sure your money stays here.

WE ARE A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION (CDFI)

Brewery Credit Union (BCU) offers the same commitment to our members since we chartered in 1934 as Brewery Workers Credit Union. The Brewery Workers Union Local 9 represented the many breweries and malting companies in Milwaukee. They formed the Credit Union for those in the brewing industry to have a safe place to borrow and save. The Brewery Workers Union Local 9 was also the original home of the Brewery Workers Credit Union. The Credit Union moved to Schlitz Brewery for a number of years until building our current home on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. In 1984, the Credit Union changed our name to Brewery Credit Union and currently offers membership to anyone who lives in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, or Washington counties, in addition to members of the Museum of Beer and Brewing. “Once a member always a member,” means should you ever relocate out of the area, your membership can continue.

Our members have access to the many products and services that Brewery Credit Union offers. We pride ourselves on offering new technology to make transacting business easier and faster than ever. The Credit Union’s mission of economically empowering our members and communities means that we will not judge a member for a blemished past. We want to help our members reach their financial goals and dreams. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve financial security and have access to safe, low-cost financial products and services. If you believe our mission will benefit you financially, or your membership will support members seeking to benefit from our mission, we would like you to become a member/owner of our great organization.