How to avoid becoming a victim of Identity Theft
Identity Theft. Identity theft is the fraudulent use of a person's personal identifying information. Often, identity thieves will use another person's personal information, such as a social security number, mother's maiden name, date of birth, or account number to open fraudulent new credit card accounts, charge existing credit card accounts, write checks, open bank accounts, or obtain new loans. They may obtain this information by:
Stealing wallets that contain personal identification information and credit cards
Stealing bank statements from the mail
Diverting mail from its intended recipients by submitting a change of address form
Rummaging through trash for personal data
Stealing personal identification information from workplace records
Intercepting or otherwise obtaining information transmitted electronically
Pretext Calling. Pretext calling is a fraudulent means of obtaining a person's personal information. Pretext callers may contact bank employees, posing as customers, to access customers' personal account information. Information obtained from pretext calling may be sold to debt collection services, attorneys, and private investigators to use in court proceedings. Identity thieves may also engage in pretext calling to obtain personal information to create fraudulent accounts.
Avoid becoming a victim of identity theft and pretext calling. Here are some basic steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft and pretext calling:
Do not give personal information, such as account numbers or social security numbers, over the telephone, through the mail, or over the internet, unless you initiated the contact or know with whom you are dealing.
Store personal information in a safe place and tear up old credit card slips, ATM receipts, old account statements, and unused credit card offers before throwing them away.
Protect your PINs and other passwords. Avoid using easily available information, such as your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your social security number, your phone number, etc.
Carry only the minimum amount of identifying information and number of credit cards that you need.
Pay attention to billing cycles and statements. Inquire of the bank, if you do not receive a monthly bill. It may mean that an identity thief diverted the bill.
Check account statements carefully to ensure all charges, checks, or withdrawals were authorized.
Guard your mail from theft. If you have the type of mailbox with a flag to signal that the box contains mail, do not leave bill payment envelopes in your mailbox with the flag up. Instead, deposit them in a post office collection box or at the local post office. Promptly remove incoming mail.
Order copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once a year to ensure that they are accurate. The law permits the credit bureaus to charge $8.50 for a copy of the report (unless you live in a state that requires the credit bureaus to provide you with one free copy of your report annually).
Victim Of Identity Theft. If you believe that someone has stolen your identity, you should:
Contact any bank or other creditor where you have an account that you think may be the subject of identity theft. Advise them of the identity theft. Request that they restrict access to your account, change your account password, or close your account, if there is evidence that your account has been the target of criminal activity.
File a report with your local police department.
Contact the fraud department of each of the three major credit bureaus to report the identity theft and request that the credit bureaus place a fraud alert and a victim's statement in your file. The fraud alert puts creditors on notice that you have been the victim of fraud, and the victim's statement asks them not to open additional accounts without first contacting you. The telephone numbers for the fraud departments of the three national credit bureaus:
Trans Union 1-800-680-7289 Equifax 1-800-525-6285 Experian 1-888-397-3742 Review your report to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name, or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts. Also, check the section of your report that list "inquiries" and request that any inquiries from companies that opened the fraudulent accounts be removed. Contact the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338). The FTC enters the information into a secure consumer fraud database and shares it with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. At Hyde Park Savings Bank, we want you to be safe while transacting business online. By educating yourself and following some simple guidelines, you can protect yourself from online schemes. In addition to the above, we suggest you familiarize yourself with some of the most common scams to avoid.
Phishing. Pronounced "fishing," as in fishing for confidential information, this is a scam that involves the use of seemingly legitimate email messages and web sites to deceive consumers into disclosing sensitive information, such as bank account information, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, passwords and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). Criminals will use this data to attempt to access your accounts.
Pharming. Refers to the redirection of an individual to an illegitimate web site through a technical means. For example, an Internet banking customer, who routinely logs into his/her online banking web site, may be redirected to an illegitimate web site instead of accessing his or her bank's web site.
Spyware. A form of software that collects personal and confidential information about a person or organization without their prior knowledge or informed consent, and reports it to a third party. Spyware is usually installed in their computer without a user's knowledge or permission.
For further assistance regarding Online and Identity Protection, please visit any of our branch offices or call 617.361.6900.
