What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. This includes personal identifying information such as your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, user ID/passwords, pin numbers or account numbers. Identity theft is a federal crime.
How Identity Theft can affect you
Consumers victimized by identity theft can spend hundreds of dollars and hours cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. They may also lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing, or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. They could even be arrested for crimes they did not commit. The potential for damage, loss, and emotional stress is considerable.
Examples of how it can happen
- Stolen purse, wallet, mail or personal belongings
- Dumpster diving or rummaging through trash
- Phony employment scams, lottery or sweepstakes scams
- Counterfeit identification
- Computer hacking
- Personal information sent via unsecured Internet lines or false websites
- Fraudulently obtained credit reports
- Stolen employment or transaction records
- Stolen credit and debit card account numbers during retail transactions through camera phones or special electronic storage devices
Minimize Your Risk
- Avoid carrying your Social Security card or passport with you
- Limit the number of credit cards or personal checks you carry
- Do not put your Social Security number on your personal checks
- Never give out your personal information over the phone, through the mail or via the Internet unless you initiate the contact
- Shred documents with any sensitive and personal information before you discard them
- Keep any sensitive information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates or employ outside help (e.g., tradesmen, housekeepers, contractors, etc.)
- Install up-to-date antivirus, antispam, antispyware software on your computer
- Do not send sensitive information online unless it is encrypted on a secure web site
- Beware of people who may try to look over your shoulder when exchanging personal information in public
- Contact your financial institution or other companies if a bill does not arrive on time to ensure no changes have been made to your account
- Check your banking and credit statements soon after you receive them and make sure there is no unexplained activity
- Obtain a free annual copy of your credit report by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com* to ensure that all information is accurate
- Frequently check your credit report(s) to validate that all of the information listed is correct
What is Phishing?
The term "phishing" – as in fishing for confidential information – is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal or financial information electronically through emails, fraudulent websites, social networking websites, instant message programs, cell phone or other mobile devices.
Often phishing scams rely on placing links in email messages, on web sites, or in instant messages that seem to come from a service that you trust, like your bank. Phishing mail often includes official-looking logos and other identifying information directly from legitimate web sites, or it may include convincing details about your personal information found on a social networking site. The scam artist may place a link or pop-up window in the email that appears to go to the legitimate web site, but actually takes you to a phony scam site.
Minimize Phishing Scam Risk
- Always use a secure computer, keep your operating system up to date and install up-to-date antivirus, antispam, antispyware software
- Do not reply to emails that ask for your personal or financial information – businesses should not ask you to send passwords, Social Security numbers, or other personal information through email
- Do not open or click on links from any suspicious emails
- Be cautious with attachments or before downloading files from any emails
- To report a suspicious email that uses Bank of the Orient's name, please forward it to us immediately at fraudalert@bankorient.com
Steps Bank of the Orient uses to protect your information
- Ask you specific questions about yourself or your account to establish your identity
- Ask for two forms of identification
- Contact you to verify that you authorized change of address
- Online Banking has been certified as a 128-bit secure server by VeriSign and the server is encrypted with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
What to do if you're a victim of Identity Theft
- File a police report with your local police department
- Contact the major credit bureaus to inform them that you are an identity theft victim
- If you believe your accounts have been tampered with or fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name, close these accounts immediately. If you have a Bank of the Orient account with unauthorized activity, please contact our Customer Service Center 1.800.881.2686 immediately.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov* or call FTC Identity Theft Hot Line: (877) IDTHEFT (438-4338)
* When you click this link, you will be leaving the bankorient.com web site. Bank of the Orient is not responsible for the quality, delivery or timeliness of goods or services of outside Web sites.
