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Don't become the next victim!
Identity theft is the fastest growing criminal
activity in the United States today. These crimes
are committed when someone steals personal information
such as your bank account number or Social Security
number, then poses as you and takes funds from
your account or runs up debt in your name, or
both. However, there are ways to protect yourself
from it happening to you. The first way
is to understand how they are able to obtain your
information.
Nine ways thieves steal your identity
information:
1. Snatching a victim's purse or wallet
2. Stealing personal mail
3. Dumpster diving
4. Credit Bureau fraud
5. Eavesdropping and shoulder surfing
6. Skimming
7. Household and computer burglary
8. Pretexting, phishing, scamming and spoofing
9. Family theft
Tips to minimize your risk for identity
theft:
Don't give out your checking account, credit
card, or Social Security number over the phone
unless you initiate the call and know who you're
dealing with.
Report lost of stolen checks immediately.
Store cancelled checks, and new checks, in a safe
place.
Notify your financial institution immediately
if you receive a suspicious phone call from someone
purporting to represent the institution and asking
for account information "to verify a statement"
or "award a prize."
Phishing involves sending customers a seemingly
legitimate email request for account information,
often under the guise of asking the customer to
verify or reconfirm confidential personal information
such as account numbers, social security numbers,
passwords and other sensitive information. Don't
respond to any emails that ask for your password,
Social Security number or other personal information.
First Bank of Conroe will never request confidential
information through email. Report any such
request to the bank immediately by calling our
Loss Prevention & Fraud Department at (936)
523-1311.
Guard your ATM Personal Identification number
(PIN) and ATM receipts.
Periodically contact the major credit bureaus
to review your file and be sure the information
is correct. For a small fee, you can obtain
a copy of your credit report at any time.
The three major credit bureaus are: Equifax (800)
685-1111; Experian (888) 397-3742; and TransUnion
(800) 916-8800.
Customers who have questions
about Online Banking Security or Identity
Theft should call (936) 523-1311
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