SECURITY
Keeping your credit cards and personal
information private is very important.
Technology has made it easier for thieves to collect and use personal
information for fraudulent use. Knowing the types of fraud that are common and
how to protect yourself are important steps in preventing it.
Identity Theft
Phishing
Tips
Identity Theft-What is it?
Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar
crime in the United States, according to the
U.S. Attorney Generals Office. In identity
theft, a thief assumes your identity by using
personal information to commit fraud. The
imposter can then purchase a car, open a credit
account, or even buy a home in your name and
then disappear, leaving you with the bills and
the damage to your credit.
How does someone obtain my personal information?
Mail
- Identity thieves will steal mail that
contains your personal information from your mailbox.
Dumpster Diving - Identity thieves will go
through your trash to obtain personal information from discarded statements or other records.
Stolen Purse/Wallet
- Thieves obtain personal information
from identification found in your purse or wallet.
Home
- Roommates or other family members obtain
personal information from statements or other records stored in the home.
Workplace
- Co-workers or visitors at your place of
employment obtain personal information from your
desk and/or purse.
Phone
- Thieves obtain personal information by
pretending to call from your bank, credit card company, or by attempting to
sell you something that does not exist.
Internet
- Thieves obtain your personal information when
you purchase things online from unsecure websites or by sending you
an email pretending to be from a legitimate business asking you to verify your
personal information.
How does it affect me?
Thieves can create balances on accounts you
legitimately use by creating and using
counterfeit cards or by making mail, phone and
Internet purchases. They may also create new accounts in
your
name. It may take you several months before you
know it has occurred. It is then up
to you to notify the lender of the identity
theft and to dispute the charges or accounts.
You may not realize it has happened until you
are denied for a loan or credit card or a bill collector calls you about a past due account.
How can I prevent it?
MasterCard SecureCode and Verified By Visa
provide greater peace of mind when cardholders
shop online by providing added protection
against unauthorized
use of the card. It allows each cardholder to
setup a personal
password on the account. This password must be
entered to complete online
transactions through participating merchants.
Mail
- Pay bills online or have it automatically
deducted from your checking account. If you must send personal information
in the mail, take it directly to the Post Office. Do not place mail with
personal information in your mailbox at home since it is not locked. Review account
statements when you receive them in the mail and notify the companies if your
bills are late.
Dumpster Diving
- Shred any documents that contain personal
information before discarding in the trash.
Stolen Purse/Wallet
- Do not carry your Social Security Card
in your wallet. Only carry the credit or debit cards you use on a daily basis.
Only carry identification that is essential, such as your Drivers
License.
Home
- Safeguard statements, credit cards,
checkbooks and other personal items in locked file cabinets or drawers.
Workplace
- Keep personal items at home or in locked
drawers or lockers when at work.
Phone
- Never give out personal information over the
phone unless it is a company you know and you have initiated the call.
Internet
- Never buy items online unless you are using a
secure website. Many companies will detail their
security procedures on their site for your
information. Do not reply to emails requesting personal
information. If you think the request may be legitimate, contact the company by
phone to verify.
What can I do if I have been a victim of Identity Theft?
• Notify the bank or credit card companies so the account can
be closed and another established with a new account number
• File a police report
• Review all account statements
• Request a copy of your credit report from all three credit
bureaus
• File a claim with the FTC at (277)ID-THEFT or
www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
• Complete an ID Theft Affidavit to provide to each creditor.
• Notify the bank or credit card company if there are charges
you do not recognize or accounts you did not open
• Place a fraud victim alert on your credit report with all
three credit bureaus.
Credit Bureaus:
Equifax
Website:
www.equifax.com
Mailing Address:
Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc.
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
To order a report: 1-800-685-1111
To place a fraud alert on your report: 1-888-766-0008
To remove your name from mailing lists: 1-888-567-8688 or write
to:
Equifax Credit
Information Services, Inc.
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian
Website:
www.experian.com
Mailing Address:
Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
To order a report: 1-888-397-3742
To place a fraud alert on your report: 1-888-397-3742
To remove your name from mailing lists: 1-888-567-8688 or write
to:
Experian Consumer Opt Out
701 Experian Parkway
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
Website:
www.transunion.com
To order a report: 1-800-888-4213
To place a fraud alert on your report: 1-800-680-7289
Mailing Address:
TransUnion
PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
To remove your name from mailing lists: 1-888-567-8688 or write
to:
TransUnions'sLLC's Name Removal Option
PO Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39288-7328
PHISHING-The latest scam
What is Phishing?
A
consumer will receive an e-mail that appears to
be from a legitimate company. The e-mail might
even be designed to look identical to the
company's actual website. The e-mail will ask
you to enter personal information such as your
account number, PIN number or password. But when
you enter your information, it is actually
routed to criminals. A legitimate company will
not send e-mails requesting confidential
information through the Internet.
How can I protect myself?
-
Do
not reply to unsolicited e-mails from
companies/people that you do not recognize
and who are asking for personal information.
If you have questions about your account,
you should call the company, or start with a
clean Web browser and type in a known
company address.
-
If
you receive this type of e-mail with
reference to our Web site and you provided
your personal information, please contact us
at 1-800-820-8450.
-
If
e-mails or Web sites contain typographical
or grammatical errors, review them carefully
as these are often signs of fraud attempts
to compromise your information.
-
Do
not click on "links" you receive
in an e-mail message. Open your browser and
enter the address directly.
-
Do
not share your ID or password with anyone.
Change your password regularly.
-
Remember
to sign off the Web site once you have
submitted an application or completed a
secure online session. When your computer is
not in use, shut it down or disconnect it
from the Internet.
-
When
submitting confidential information, you
should only do business with those companies
that use encrypted connection between your
browser and their Website. Look for the key
or lock symbol on your browser.
-
Check
your monthly statements for accuracy
-
Protect
all account information and shred unwanted
documents
10
TIPS TO HELP DETER IDENTITY THEFT
Identity
theft can occur so easily, and in such a variety
of ways - over the Internet, through mail theft,
from information taken out of your trashcan or
from a stolen wallet. With nothing more than
your Social Security number, a thief can destroy
your good credit by opening fraudulent credit
accounts, applying for loans or even buying a
car.
Your
best defense is to stay current on the ways in
which identity theft is committed, and then make
modifications in your lifestyle to avoid
becoming a victim. You’ll find most of these
points are simple and inexpensive to implement.
And once you make them part of your routine you
can rest much easier.
1. Minimize what you carry
in
your wallet or purse in case it is stolen. Your
Social Security card should be the first thing
to go into a secure location. You don’t need
it on a day-to-day basis. Receipts for charged
purchases or ATM transactions contain valuable
information, and should be cleared out as often
as possible. Look through the cards you carry,
and remove any that you don’t use often. If
you normally carry a checkbook, you may consider
carrying only a few checks at a time.
2. Review your checking account and credit card statements
regularly.
This is where you will spot discrepancies that
could indicate identity theft. For many people
this is not routine, but once you get in the
habit, it goes quicker each month. The time you
spend balancing your checking account or
reviewing your credit card statement is nothing
compared to the time and expense it takes to
deal with identity theft.
3. Get a copy of your credit report
annually, and review it carefully. If you spot
new accounts that you don’t remember opening,
this could indicate identity theft. Check them
out immediately. You may also notice old
accounts you had forgotten. Take the time to
close them. Your credit report will look better
in the future should you choose to apply for
additional credit. To order a free annual copy
go to www.annualcreditreport.com
or call 877-322-8228
4. Be aware that a merchant cannot require you to present a photo ID in
order to complete a card transaction. If your
credit or debit card is in good condition, the
expiration date is valid, the card is signed and
your signature on the sales draft matches the
signature on your card, no other ID should be
required. If for some reason you are asked for
an ID, do not permit the merchant to copy any of
the information from your ID onto the sales
draft.
5. Install a locked mailbox
at your residence for incoming mail, or get a
Post Office box. An unsecured mailbox is like a
welcome mat for an identity thief. What
they’re looking for are credit cards and
checks that come to you in the mail. Another hot
item is credit card solicitations that thieves
could try to accept in your name. Even your
bills provide account numbers that could be used
to your disadvantage.
6. Place outgoing mail in a USPS drop box.
Outgoing
mail is just as enticing to a thief, who will
commonly steal outgoing mail looking for account
numbers on your bills. Your checks can be
altered and then used for cash, and your
checking account number can be used to access
your account.
7. Purchase a paper shredder.
They aren’t expensive. Shred all documents
containing private information before putting
them in the trash. This includes pre-approved
credit offers that come to you in the mail. Any
charge receipts that you are going to throw away
should be shredded. Many merchants still print
your entire account number and card expiration
date on the receipt. (In many states there are
laws prohibiting this, but merchants have been
slow to respond.) If you need to save a receipt,
be sure to mark over the account number, or at
least all but the last four digits.
8. If you shop online,
check out www.bbbonline.com/consumer to locate
companies that live up to the standards of the
Better Business Bureau. Or check the sites you
use for the BBB OnLine Reliability Seal, which
labels a safe shopping site. Be very cautious
about the information you give out online.
Protect your Social Security number by not
providing it online. It should never be needed
to complete a purchase.
9. Avoid account passwords like your birth date, mother’s maiden name or any
part of your Social Security number. These are
easy for someone else to obtain and therefore
could compromise the security of your account.
Pick something that’s easy for you to
remember, but something that’s not easy to
obtain, (perhaps a nickname, pet’s name or
best friend’s birth date.)
10. Be careful about the information you disclose over the
phone.
Never provide personal information unless you
initiated the call, and are certain you are
dealing with a reputable party. Remember that
cell phones and cordless phones are vulnerable
to eavesdropping because the signals are
transmitted over radio waves.
Internet
Safety Tips
The Internet has
indisputably changed the face of business, becoming extremely
popular with consumers and merchants alike. Unfortunately though,
the Internet has also become a favorite tool of criminals who
operate within the anonymity and secrecy of the Web. We suggest that
you familiarize yourself with these basic safety practices.
Check out online
merchants before shopping
Look over the site carefully, and take time to read the Privacy
Policy. It should be prominently displayed and should clearly tell
you whether or not the company collects your information, how that
information is collected, and how it may be used. Whenever you have
the opportunity, you should opt-out of third-party information
sharing.
Protect
your account numbers when shopping
To help protect you when
you are making purchases over the Internet, MasterCard SecureCode
and Verified by Visa have been designed to give Internet shoppers
more protection and greater control about where and how their cards
are used. These Internet shopping tools allow you to create
personal passwords to help protect your credit and debit card
numbers against unauthorized use at participating Internet shopping
sites. Check with your credit and debit card companies to see
if they offer MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa.
Protect your personal
information
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with passwords and user names if
you use the Internet often. Common sense dictates that you
shouldn’t write down your passwords just as you don’t write down
your PIN. Try to use the same password and user name at each site,
and don’t choose passwords that would be easy for someone else to
acquire. For instance, your mother’s maiden name, your Social
Security number and your birth date are three pieces of information
that you should avoid using. There are plenty of words and numbers
that would be easy for you to remember, but nearly impossible for
another person to guess or even consider, for instance your best
friend’s birth date, your pet’s name or your favorite flavor of
ice cream. Think of something unique that will streamline your
Internet usage and protect your privacy.
Keep a record of your
Internet transactions to help you review your monthly statements. If
you monitor your accounts each month, you will be much more apt to
spot any inaccuracies that could indicate the fraudulent use of your
account numbers. Another way to help simplify your record-keeping is
to use only one card for all your Internet purchases. This means
you’ll only have one account number floating around in cyberspace,
and it should help simplify your recordkeeping.
Reject “cookies”
whenever possible. Cookies are information-gathering devices that
track your habits and allow a site to learn more about you. Not all
sites use cookies, and not all browsers support them. In fact, some
browsers allow users to reject all cookies. The site’s Privacy
Policy should tell you about the use of cookies on that particular
site.
Monitor children’s use
of the Web very closely. This may mean relocating the computer to a
place where you can be nearby while they are online. Children need
to understand that they should never give out personal information
over the Internet unless they are supervised by an adult. Online
research and shopping will become increasingly more common in the
future. If children are taught safe Internet practices from the
beginning, it will become as routine as buckling their seat belt and
not talking to strangers.
Be aware of consumer
protection such as Zero Liability, a valuable benefit for consumers,
virtually guaranteeing protection against card fraud. Simply stated,
if your card or your account number is stolen and used fraudulently,
you will not be held financially responsible.
The Internet is a
valuable resource, but it must be used with care. If you suspect
that the security of your card has been compromised, stop using the
card immediately and contact us at 1-800-820-8450. With knowledge,
caution and common sense, you should be able to explore and enjoy
the limitless possibilities offered online.
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