Security & Identity Theft Tips

Protect Your Identity and Financial Information

Criminals are constantly looking for ways to access your finances and personal information. If that happens, it can cost you time and money to get everything corrected and creates headaches for you and your family. American State Bank wants to help you protect yourself, so you don’t become a victim of financial crime. Check out our tips to protect yourself below. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Debit Card Security

Traveling?

We’re serious about doing all we can to protect you from debit card fraud. That’s why we’re asking you to call us when you plan to travel outside the U.S or to another state. We’ll make sure you’re able to continue using your card without any problems. It’s just one of the many ways we’re working to help ensure your security.

We may be calling you.

To protect your account, we monitor your ATM and debit card transactions for potentially fraudulent activity which may include a sudden change in locale (such as when a U.S.-issued card is unexpectedly used overseas), a sudden string of costly purchases, or any pattern associated with new fraud trends around the world.

If we suspect fraudulent ATM or debit card use, we’ll be calling you to validate the legitimacy of these transactions. Your participation in responding to our call is critical to prevent potential risk and avoid restrictions we may place on the use of your card.

Our automatic call will ask you to verify recent transaction activity on your card.

You’ll be able to respond via your touch-tone keypad.
You’ll also be provided with a toll-free number to call should you have additional questions.

Our goal, quite simply, is to minimize your exposure to risk and the impact of any fraud. To ensure we can continue to reach you whenever potential fraud is detected, please keep us informed of your correct phone number and address at all times.

In the meantime, please be diligent in monitoring transaction activity on your account and contact us immediately if you identify any fraudulent transactions.

Protect yourself

Unless absolutely required for legitimate business purposes, avoid giving out your:

Address and ZIP code
Phone number
Date of birth
Social Security number
Card or account number
Card expiration date

Your PIN is private, NEVER give it out. In stores and at ATMs, always cover your card and PIN, and watch for:

Cell phone cameras, mirrors, or other tools that can be used to view cards, and PINs.
People watching your transactions.
Cashiers taking your card out of sight. Instead, take it to the register yourself.
Any unusual activity at ATMs; if you feel uncomfortable, go to another ATM.

Online, you should never respond to unsolicited emails that:

Ask you to verify your card or account number; such as emails that are not sent by legitimate businesses.
Link to website; such sites can look legitimate but may collect data or put spyware on your computer.

ATM Security – 10 Things You Should Do

If possible, avoid using ATMs during hours of darkness. If you must do so, try to have another person accompany you.
If an ATM facility must be used at night, try to select one in an area that is well lit.
When possible, try to choose an ATM that is highly visible.
Thoroughly observe the area around the ATM.
Be cautious of anyone who engages you in conversation as you approach the ATM, while you are using it or immediately thereafter.
Be suspicious of anyone who closely observes you while you are using the ATM.
Protect your PIN from view.
Spend as little time at the ATM as possible.
Don’t count or needlessly expose cash at the ATM.
Don’t leave your receipt at the ATM.
Don’t reveal your PIN to anyone in person or over the telephone for any reason, even if the individual represents him or herself as a bank employee.

Check Security – 10 Things You Should Do

Guard your checkbook and checks.
Never give your account and routing numbers to people you do not know, especially to anyone over the telephone even if the individual represents him or herself as a bank employee.
Guard your deposit slips. Never use your deposit slip for “scrap” paper and then give it to someone.
Properly store or dispose of canceled checks.
If your checkbook is lost or stolen, immediately inform us.
When traveling for a period of time, it is wise to leave your checkbook at home, locked away, and purchase a travel card or use your ATM/CheckCard.
Write your checks using ink pens and never in pencil.
Write the payee name and the dollar amount in both numbers and letters, as far to the left in the allotted space and draw a line through the unused space to the right of the letters and numbers to prevent additions.
When writing the payee name on the “Pay to the Order of” line, make sure the name is spelled out so it cannot be altered.
Promptly balance or reconcile your checkbook register with your monthly bank statements.

Online Security – What You Should Do

Create secure passwords. Keep them private. Change them regularly.
The strongest passwords look like a random string of characters to attackers. Use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols.
Update your firewall, virus protection and browser software regularly.
Use email software with built-in spam filtering. Keep filters current. Don't open emails or attachments if you don't know the sender. Limit sharing email or instant message addresses.
When doing your online banking and shopping, only deal with known, reputable vendors. Before doing business, look for and verify the company’s physical address, not a post office box. Request a catalog by mail. Speak with a company representative over the phone.
Don't fall for phishing, mishing, vishing, or other social engineering schemes.
Back up all your valuable data and keep the backups under lock and key.
Back up anything you cannot replace easily. The following are some storage devices and locations to consider: External hard drives, CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, online backup and storage services.
Eradicate personal data from your computer before donating or disposing of it. Remember, manually deleted computer files may still be recovered by an identity thief. To remove files, search for "file shredder" or "secure file deletion" to find a program that is compatible with your version of Windows and other software. Call the computer manufacturer's technical services department and ask how to delete personal files. A third option is to have a reputable computer engineer safely overwrite your files from your hard drive.

Identity Theft Prevention

Recommended Actions

Here are suggested actions recommended by the Federal Trade Commission and Equifax that you should take immediately if you suspect you are a victim of identity theft. Keep a detailed record of the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence. Full details can be found on their websites at
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft

Call the Police

Call the police. Report the crime to the police or sheriff's department that has jurisdiction in your case and request a police report. Though the authorities are often unable to assist you with this, a police report may be necessary to help convince creditors that someone else has opened an account in your name. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.

Contact the Federal Trade Commission

Contact the Federal Trade Commission. You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems. The FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems itself, but your complaint may lead to law enforcement action.

Contact Three Credit Reporting Agencies

Contact the three Credit Reporting Agencies. Have one of the agencies put a fraud alert on your file, which will aid in preventing new credit accounts from being opened without your express permission.

TransUnion:
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Equifax:
1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian:
1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.experian.com
P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three consumer reporting companies, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports. Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain.

Close Accounts that Have Been Tampered With

Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.