Protect Yourself Against Online Fraud & Identity Theft.
Fake e-mails. Unsolicited phone calls. Changes of address. Identity thieves both online and offline may use any number of techniques to gain access to your accounts or to obtain your personal information in order to open new accounts in your name.

It's important for you to be able to recognize identity theft and online fraud and to follow some simple steps to ensure you don't unwittingly become a victim.

Fraudulent e-mails masquerading as legitimate requests for information from sources you trust, often referred to as "phishing" or "spoofing," are commonly used by cyber-thieves to trick you into providing confidential information like account numbers, online ID's, usernames, and passwords.

These e-mails aren't always easy to identify. They can be very sophisticated, using the graphics, logos, and the "look and feel" of legitimate organizations with which you do business. They often ask you to reply directly or take you to an equally sophisticated website where you're requested to provide or verify personal information.

These imposter "phishing" or "spoofing" attempts often share some common tell-tale signs of their deceptive intent:

Urgent Requests
A fraudulent e-mail may claim your account is in danger of closure if you fail to update or authenticate personal information immediately.

Requests For Lost Information
Claims that your bank or other business has lost important security information associated with your account may be accompanied by a request to visit a website to complete an update form.

Unrecognized E-mail And Web Addresses
The reply-to e-mail address or the website address within fraudulent e-mails will often be unrecognized as coming from your bank or other business.

Typos & Language Errors
Many of these attempts originate outside the United States and may contain obvious typos, awkward language and sentence structure, or appear unprofessional or of poor quality.

Take Steps To Protect Yourself.
1. Don't Provide Personal Information like account numbers, online ID's, usernames, or passwords to anyone via e-mail, on the phone, or on a website unless you initiated the contact and are absolutely certain with whom you are communicating.

2. Be Suspect Of Every E-Mail, website, or phone call requesting you to update, authenticate, or verify ANY personal information. Always be aware of the ease with which phony e-mails and websites can be created.

3. Confirm Requests With The Source Directly if you are asked to update or verify information. Call your bank or other business directly if you receive a phone request. Open a new web browser window and go to the website directly if you receive a request for information via e-mail and look to see if this information is being requested anywhere on the site.

4. Keep Your Web Browser And Other Software Up-To-Date. Keeping your software, web browser, and e-mail applications up-to-date will help ensure that you're receiving the benefit of the latest security features. Using anti-virus software will help ensure that a virus or malicious software code isn't compromising the security of your computer.

5. Make Online Purchases Selectively from legitimate online vendors who provide secure order forms and actively protect your personal information. ALWAYS sign-off websites or secure web pages for which you are required to use an ID or username and password.

6. Choose Passwords Wisely by using both letters and numbers together with a combination of lowercase and capital letters. DON'T use names, birth dates, or other easy-to-guess information. DO use different username and password combinations for each account and change them often.

7. Keep A List Of Bank And Credit Accounts, including account numbers, billing addresses and phone numbers, in a safe deposit box. Include credit limit amounts, expiration dates and other pertinent information. Report lost or stolen credit cards or checks immediately to the card issuer or bank.

8. Review Your Bank & Credit Card Statements Carefully to assure yourself that no suspicious items are appearing. Investigate suspicious items immediately and notify your bank right away if you see anything unusual.

9. Dispose Of Financial Information Carefully, including credit solicitations and other personal information, by shredding or tearing before depositing in the trash.

10. Periodically Review Your Credit Report to check for new accounts which you did not open or to find unusual activity or erroneous listings or reporting from existing accounts.

What To Do If You Are A Victim Of Identity Theft.
Download our Online Fraud & Identity Theft Guide.

The guide contains comprehensive information on what to do if you become the victim of identity theft. Contact information for major credit reporting agencies, check verification service agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, and more are included in the kit. In addition, we provide forms for documenting your actions and sample letters for you to use when contacting your bank, creditors and other businesses.