More information.Tools to help you understand your finances. |
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FVSB Security Protection
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Steps you can take.Pay attention and follow these simple tips to help guard against identity theft.
- Remove mail promptly from your mailbox. Never use your mailbox for outgoing mail. Identity thieves raid mailboxes to steal credit card offers and financial statements.
- Guard your social security number. Do not give out personal information like PIN or credit card numbers over the phone or the Internet unless you initiated the transaction. Identity thieves often call you posing as an Internet provider or credit card company to gain knowledge of your accounts.
- Be very careful with receipts. Make sure you have them when you leave the store or ATM and do not throw them into a public trash can. Thieves use these receipts to access your accounts.
- Review your credit reports from time to time. Once a year, the credit bureau will give you a free copy to review. If you want your FICO score, you do need to pay a nominal fee for that. The major credit bureaus are:
- Equifax: 800-685-1111
- Experian: 800-682-7654
- Trans Union: 800-9116-8800
- Destroy pre-approved credit card offers before you throw them out. A home shredder is the best thing to use on financial statements, receipts and old cancelled checks that you are discarding.
- Account for all new checkbooks when you receive them in the mail. If any are missing, report stolen checks immediately. Keep new and cancelled checks in a safe place.
- Block your ATM transaction with your body. Keep the keyboard from view and prevent someone from learning your personal identification number (PIN).
- Commit all passwords and personal identification numbers to memory. The less you have on paper the less likely it is that someone will learn these numbers.
- Be creative when you select a password. Don't be obvious like using the last four digits of your social security number, phone number, address, birth date or any format that could easily be decoded by thieves.
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