Preventing & Identifying Fraud

Identity Theft

We implement robust security measures to protect your personal and financial information, including password protection and encryption for secure online transactions.

You can also take steps to prevent fraud:

• Do not provide your financial information or Social Security number to any person or organization you don't know.
• Report lost or stolen checks immediately to us so we can block payment on them.
• Notify us of suspicious phone inquiries asking for your account information to verify a statement or award a prize.
• Closely guard your ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN) and ATM receipts.
• Shred financial solicitations and bank statements before disposing of them.
• Place your outgoing mail in a secure, official Postal Service collection box.
• If regular bills don't arrive on time, call the company to find out why.
• Immediately investigate questionable charges on your bills to ward off possible fraud.
• Contact the major credit-reporting companies periodically to review your file and ensure information is accurate.
• Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act

The FACT Act entitles you to a free copy of your credit report from the three major credit reporting agencies. The law also enables consumers to place an alert on their credit files when they suspect they have been victims of identity theft. Consumers also can recover their credit reputation through other measures:

• Credit reporting agencies must stop reporting allegedly fraudulent account information when a consumer shows he or she has been victimized by identity theft.
• Creditors or businesses must provide copies of business records or fraudulent accounts or transactions to assist consumers in proving they are victims of identity theft.
• Consumers can report accounts affected by identity theft directly to creditors, in addition to credit-reporting agencies, to prevent the spread of erroneous information.