Q: What is the USA Patriot Act?
A: The “USA PATRIOT” Act stands for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.”
Section 314(a) of the Act went into effect on October 1, 2003, and is designed to protect individuals and the U.S. financial system from identity theft, fraud, money laundering, and terrorism by requiring all financial institutions to verify the identity of all persons and entities with whom they conduct business.

Q: What does Dupaco have to do to comply?
A: To comply with the USA Patriot Act, Dupaco is required to verify the identity of members applying for and opening new accounts or services. Information we are required to obtain includes name; mailing and residence address; tax identification number; date of birth; and a copy of a valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. Additional information may also be gathered depending on the type of account applied for or opened. In addition, if a member adds a non-member to an existing account, Dupaco will be required to verify the identity of the additional individual(s).

Q: Are there penalties for noncompliance?
A: Yes. Penalties for noncompliance with the Act can result in civil and criminal penalties against the credit union, its officers, directors, and even individual employees. Various violations can carry penalties up to $1,000,000 per day and 10 years in prison.

Q: How does this affect me?
A: As a current member, the USA Patriot Act will have minimal effect on your normal credit union activities because we have previously verified your identity.

Q: I’ve been a member for years. Why check my ID?
A: Dupaco employees may ask for an existing member’s identification in order to safeguard assets. Increases in identity theft make additional verification a good safety precaution for you as a member.

Q: What does Dupaco do with its identification?
A: We are required to maintain records of how your identification was verified. This information is scanned into our private database and is not shared, as required under the Privacy Act.

Q: What is Dupaco doing to minimize the inconvenience?
A: Dupaco will gather information as required by the Patriot Act and, once obtained, will rarely have to ask for it again. We appreciate your patience and hope you’ll understand that our compliance with the USA Patriot Act ultimately helps protect us all.