August 2025 News

Get $100 by Opening a Free Student Checking Account

While you’re preparing for the end of summer break and a return to the classroom, now’s the time to add signing up for a free Bellco Student Checking Account to your back-to-school to-do list. For a limited time, every member between the ages of 13-24 that opens a new Student Checking Account will get $100 automatically deposited into their account.* There’s no better time to get you or your kids started on the right foot.

New account holders will also get a free Visa® debit card, access to mobile banking, and no monthly maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements. It’s the perfect day-to-day money management account for a student to establish lifelong healthy financial habits. Plus, as a new Bellco member, students will also get access to free budgeting tools, financial tips, and other resources to help them gain financial empowerment.

Schedule a branch appointment and visit your local Bellco branch to open an account today!

Learn more

*LIMITED TIME OFFER. Valid only if you don’t have an active student checking account with Bellco. To receive the $100 bonus, the student must (i) qualify for Bellco membership, as well as the checking account, (ii) open the student checking account on or before 9/30/2025, and (iii) be aged 13-24. Students under the age of 18 must have an adult as joint owner on the account. Not valid with any other offers. Limit of one bonus per student. There is no minimum balance required to obtain the bonus. The bonus will be deposited into the new student checking account within 90 days of account opening, provided that the account is still open and active at that time. Visa and the Visa logo are registered trademarks of Visa International Services Association.

Celebrating Our Newest Branch Locations

To better serve our growing membership across Colorado, Bellco is excited to announce the expansion of our branch network in convenient locations throughout Colorado.

New Timnath Branch Opens This Month

Timnath – Our first branch in Timnath opens Monday, August 4, at 4625 Weitzel St. This new location will offer full and self-service banking options, including an Express Teller machine and 24-hour ATM access. Look for details about our Grand Opening Celebration in September’s newsletter!

Coming Later in 2025

We’re continuing our expansion to meet members’ needs by opening local branches in their communities this year in:

  • Erie: Opening in November.
  • Colorado Springs: Our first branch in the city, expected to open by the end of the year.

Expanding our branch network is a key part of our commitment to providing accessible and convenient service to all our members. We look forward to serving you at these new locations!

Celebrate Labor Day Weekend at These Local Events

This year, we’ll get the earliest long Labor Day weekend possible with Labor Day falling on September 1. If you want a break from lounging around the house and haven’t made any plans yet, here’s a list of events all around Colorado you could check out:

  • Labor Day Liftoff (All Weekend – Colorado Springs) Head down to Memorial Park in Colorado Springs throughout the whole weekend to celebrate the largest hot air balloon festival in Colorado. Festivities include early morning balloon launches, a 5k run, live entertainment, skydiving demonstrations, and evening balloon glows. Make sure to have your coffee ready because you’ll want to get there at the crack of dawn to find a good spot to watch balloons launch at 7:00AM.
  • Labor Day Arts & Craft Show (All Weekend – Estes Park) From paintings to metal sculptures plus jewelry, ceramics, fiber arts, and more, come view and purchase the one-of-a-kind creations of 90+ artisans at Bond Park in downtown Estes Park. Plus enjoy live music, food, a Children’s Arts & Craft Tent, and a three-day Silent Auction.
  • Water World (All Weekend – Federal Heights) Labor Day Weekend marks the final weekend for families to enjoy the waterslides and wave pools of Colorado’s largest water park. Weekend crowds are expected to be large so make sure you buy your tickets ahead of time if you’re planning on visiting.
  • Havana Street Night Market (Saturday, August 30 – Aurora) On the final Saturdays of the summer months, the Havana Street Night Market lights up the night outside of Leezakaya in Aurora from 6PM to 10PM. Come join a celebration of food, culture, and community by eating delicious street food from around the world, shopping at a wide variety of global-inspired vendors, and watching live music, dance, and interactive games and giveaways.
  • Windsor Harvest Festival (All Weekend – Windsor) For our northern neighbors who don’t want to make the trek down to Colorado Springs, they can get their fill of hot air balloon launches at the Windsor Harvest Festival. In addition to daily balloon launches, you can also enjoy the largest parade in Northern Colorado, a classic car show, live music, and fireworks over Windsor Lake.
  • Fall Festival & Labor Day Parade (Monday, September 1 – Louisville) Celebrate the community spirit of Louisville by cheering on the Children’s Pet Parade and the annual Labor Day Parade. Then enjoy local arts and crafts, fresh baked goods, and a variety of food trucks at the Fall Festival at Memory Square Park.

Identifying Social Engineering Scams

You may have seen our alert last week warning of a recent pop-up scam. With social engineering scams on the rise, we want to remind members of the best ways to spot these scams and protect their personal information.

What is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is the act of convincing an individual through deception to give up sensitive information or take actions that can lead to fraudulent activity. A social engineering scam targets our human nature rather than technical vulnerabilities.

What Are Some Common Types of Social Engineering Scams?

By recognizing possible warning signs and understanding the following social engineering techniques scammers often employ, you can strengthen your defenses to protect your personal information. These common techniques include:

  • Phishing: Scammers send fraudulent emails or messages to trick recipients into giving up sensitive information or executing malicious content. For example, an email that appears to be from your credit union but contains links that send you to a fake site of the credit union’s online banking login screen to steal your username and password.
  • Vishing: A phone scam involving a scammer calling you and posing as a representative from a reputable organization (often a financial institution) and requesting your personal information. They often will attempt to create a sense of panic and urgency so you tell them your sensitive information without fully thinking it through.
  • Pretexting: A scammer creates a false scenario in which they need your “help” to obtain your information or gain access to your accounts. For instance, you receive a call from someone pretending to be your coworker in another department about to head into an urgent meeting and requesting sensitive data.
  • Baiting: They use a false promise or offer to lure people into a trap. This could come in the form of a USB drive with a false label reading “master password list” that’s left in a public area to tempt someone to insert the drive into the computer and accidentally install malware into their system.
  • Tailgating: An unauthorized person follows someone with authorization into a restricted area. This could be someone waiting by the entrance to your office waiting for you to swipe your keycard and slipping in behind you.

To learn more about how to protect yourself from social engineering scammers, read our full article.