SAFEGUARD YOUR INFORMATION OFFLINE

The Internet is not the only place that you need to be aware. In your daily transactions at the ATM, on the phone, shopping or in a restaurant, you need to know how to protect your information. Treat your personal and account information with great care, and avoid giving information over the phone.

Here are some helpful tips to put you in control of your information in your everyday life.

Check Fraud
Credit Card Fraud
ATM Security

Check Fraud

Check fraud is the manipulation and illegal use of checks. Examples include: counterfeiting through desktop publishing and copying or duplicating an actual financial document. In most cases, these crimes begin with the theft of a financial document. It can be perpetrated as easily as someone stealing a blank check from your home or vehicle during a burglary, searching for a canceled or old check in the garbage, or removing a check you have mailed to pay a bill from the mailbox.

In order to protect yourself from falling victim to check fraud schemes, you should become more familiar with the most common check fraud schemes being used today. To learn more and see examples of these schemes please visit fakechecks.org.

Security Savvy:  Watch for these signs

• The check number is missing or does not change.
• Customer's address or the address of the bank is missing.
• The type of font to print the customer's name looks visibly different from the font used to print the address.
• Stains or discolorations are on the check possibly caused by erasures of alterations.
• The word VOID appears across the check.

Safeguard your checks

• Store your extra checks and deposit slips in a secure locked location and properly destroy canceled checks.
• Protect your checkbook and bank documents (including statements and canceled checks) so they aren't accessible to guests, contractors, repairmen, etc. Never leave your checkbook in your vehicle.
• When closing a bank account, be certain to destroy or shred any extra checks and deposit slips.
• If your home is burglarized, validate your supply of checks to ensure they have not been compromised or stolen. Look closely, since thieves will sometimes take only one or two checks from the middle or back of the book, so it's harder to determine that they are missing.
• Purchase your checks and deposit slips from our approved check vendor to ensure quality of your check stock and the integrity of your account documents.

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Credit Card Fraud

Most credit card fraud involves lost or stolen cards. Thieves can get your credit cards by stealing your wallet, burglarizing your home or even paying store employees for credit card numbers and reselling them on the black market.

Credit card thieves don't need to have the credit card itself to do damage. All they need is a sales slip or bill with your account number and expiration date. Think of your credit card number as a confidential piece of information that you need to guard vigilantly.

Security Savvy:  Guard your card

• Never give your card number to strangers or telemarketers who call you on the phone. Be wary of a tantalizing offer or prize that requires you to give out your credit card number.
• Write down the toll free numbers for reporting your credit cards lost or stolen and keep the number at home, in your purse or wallet and at your office so that you will be prepared to call immediately if you have to.
• Always check that you get your card back after you make a purchase.
• Keep your cards in a safe place that won't be obvious to burglars.
• Always sign your card in ink as soon as you receive it.
• Never lend your card to anyone. If you want to let someone else use your card to buy something, handle the transaction yourself.
• Shred all credit card receipts and pre-approved credit card offers into tiny pieces before you throw them away. Keep your billing statements in a safe place.
• When you use your credit card online, make sure you are using a secure Web site. Look for a small key or lock symbol at the bottom right of your browser's window.

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ATM Security

• Never give out your ATM, Check Card, or credit card PIN (Personal Identification Number).
• Never write your PIN or password on your ATM card, Check Card, or Credit card. Memorize your PIN or Password.
• Report lost or stolen checks, ATM cards, or Check Cards as soon as you discover they are missing.
• ATM, Check Card, and credit card receipts may bear your account numbers and should be securely destroyed or stored for your protection.