Identify Theft Prevention
Identity Theft is a serious crime. It occurs when someone takes your personal information without your knowledge and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity Theft can damage your credit and cost you. Recent statistics from the US Government suggest that you can expect it to cost on average $1,200 and take around 600 hours to repair your credit.
Click here to learn about our ID theft restoration program, ID TheftSmart™.
Q. How Do I Protect my Identity?
A: Follow these simple guidelines:
- Shred any documents with sensitive information.
- Don't carry your Social Security Card with you, and don't give it out unless it is absolutely necessary.
- Only give out personal information over the phone when you have initiated the call.
- Keep your computer's security (firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software) up-to-date.
- Choose passwords that are easy for you to remember, but hard for others to figure out.
- Keep any sensitive information in your home in a secure place. (Vault, alcove, safe deposit box at the bank)
- Check your credit report at least annually to make sure everything is correct. (www.annualcreditreport.com is the ONLY government-sanctioned website where you can check your report for free once a year.)
Q. What is Debit Card Protection?
A: First National Bank is dedicated to keeping your information secure. We participate in Shazam's Falcon Fraud Prevention program. The Falcon program monitors your regular spending habits and puts up a red flag anytime there is something out of the ordinary. This can mean that in some instances Shazam can know there is fraud before even you do and alert you to the situation. If this does happen, Shazam will contact you by phone to help you resolve the situation. It is important to keep your phone number up-to-date at the bank so that you can be contacted expediently.
Q. What is Enhanced Login Security?
A: In our quest to protect our customers, First National Bank has extra security on Internet Banking at: www.FNBames.com. We have added levels of security above and beyond the firewalls, encryption, and password protection. With Enhanced Login Security, you can have security questions that only you know the answer to every time you login. That means that not only is your information protected with a password, your computer is recognized as well.
Q. What if Identity Theft happens to me?
A: Unfortunately, Identity Theft can strike any of us. If you have been a victim of Identity Theft, here are some steps you can take to minimize the impact:
- Contact your financial institution(s) about the situation and close any accounts that have been affected or that have been opened fraudulently
- Contact the three major credit bureaus, review reports for any other signs of Identity Theft and place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit reports
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
- File a police report
- Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission
- www.ftc.gov/idtheft
- 1-877-438-4338 or TTY 1-866-653-4261
- Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, DC 20580
- Document the entire process
Additional Resources
www.iowa.gov/government/ag/helping_victims/contents/IDPP.html
