The Buckhead Community Bank

The Midtown Community Bank, a Division of The Buckhead Community Bank

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What to do if you are a victim of Identity Theft

The Buckhead Community Bank would like to offer you something we hope you never have to use. This message offers information about what to do if you should become a victim of fraud.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, social security number, credit card number or other identifying information, without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes.

Remember that the Buckhead Community Bank will never sell any of your personal public or non-public information. If you would like to review our privacy policy, please click here .

Common types of fraud

Phishing involves the use of a company’s information or logo on a fake email or website to trick the user into entering their personal financial information. Phishing can include a fraudulent email from your bank or credit card company requesting you to update your password or even a link to a dummy website that will keep a keystroke log of the information you enter for your user-ID and password.

If you ever receive an email or letter from the bank requesting any personal information, please do not respond as it could be a hoax. Feel free to contact the bank to verify its authenticity before entering any information.

If the email or letter is fraudulent, the bank may request you to print out or mail the information to the bank so we may investigate the matter.

Credit card fraud is very common in the United States and according to the Federal Trade Commission, around half of the credit card fraud today is conducted online. There are many different methods in which a criminal can acquire and use a victim’s credit card.

A stolen card can be used online as well as in a public setting, especially at gas stations where no identification verification is used.

If a criminal is able to gain access to your personal information, they can use a method called account takeover fraud where they call your credit card company and have information related to you and the card changed. For instance, they may change the address the statements are sent to so you will not receive any sort of notice of the fraudulent activity on your account.

A thief can also steal credit card offers out of your mailbox and set up the credit card as their own using your personal information.

Your liability for fraudulent activity depends on how quickly the loss is reported. You risk unlimited loss by failing to report an unauthorized transfer within 60 days after you receive your bank statement containing the unauthorized transaction(s).

Debit or ATM card fraud occurs using many of the same methods as with credit cards. Some other methods of acquiring information on a debit or ATM card is when a personal identification number, a.k.a. PIN number, is willingly given out to a friend in which they in turn use that information for personal gain.

Mail fraud is committed when the perpetrator steals or intercepts pieces of mail before it arrives at its intended recipient. As previously mentioned, credit cards can be ordered in the intended recipients name by the fraudster. If checks are mailed to the customer, they can be stolen out of the mailbox and used to make bogus purchases.

How to prevent and protect yourself from Identity Theft

Phishing:

Make sure you do not enter any personal information on a non-secure website. Look for the “s” in the websites address https:// to be assured it is a secure website.
Do not answer emails or letters in which people ask for your user-ID, password, account number, social security number, credit card number, etc. Even if the email is coming from a well known source, it does not mean it cannot be intercepted in sending. Remember that the bank will never ask for that information from you over email or by mail.
Report any suspicious emails or letters you receive to the bank so the bank may investigate and hopefully stop any further fraudulent information from being disbursed.
Delete any emails from unknown sources as they may have a virus attached that will be downloaded to your computer if the email is opened.
Make sure to update your computer’s virus protection periodically.
Run a full scan of your computer as often as possible.
If a virus is detected, delete it from your computer immediately. Depending on the type of virus, follow any additional instructions your virus protection program may give you to make sure your information has not been compromised, such as changing your passwords.
Make sure your spam filter is turned on to reduce the amount of fraudulent emails in your email inbox.

Credit Card or ATM/Debit card:

Review statements monthly for any fraudulent activity. If you find any fraudulent activity, report it to your card provider immediately.
After comparing your receipts to your statements, make sure to shred the receipts.
In case of a stolen or lost card, keep a list of your credit card providers, account numbers, expiration dates and their contact information in a secure location, like a safe deposit box or a home safe. This speeds up the process of reporting any fraudulent card activity and will reduce the amount of liability incurred.
Sign new cards immediately when they arrive
Memorize your PIN (personal identification number). Do NOT write it down.
Shield your hand when entering your PIN number at an ATM machine or when making a purchase.
Destroy any carbons from a processed transaction.

Mail fraud:

Do not leave incoming mail lying around that may have account number(s) or personal information on them.
Shred all junk mail before discarding to limit criminals from gaining personal information and/or credit card offers.
Review your credit report at least annually. You may receive two free credit reports a year in Georgia.
Shred all documents that contain any personal information
Place your mail in an official post office mailbox versus placing any outgoing mail in your mailbox where it could be stolen.
Do not write any personal information on mail such as your social security number or driver’s license number.

Helpful hints and websites

If you become a victim of identity theft:

Report the theft to the three major credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion Corporation, and do the following:
Request that they place a fraud alert and a victim’s statement in your file
Request a free copy of your credit report to check whether any accounts were opened without your consent
Request that the agencies remove inquiries and/or fraudulent accounts stemming from the theft

Equifax - www.equifax.com
Experian - www.experian.com
Trans Union - www.transunion.com

Notify your bank(s) and ask them to flag your account and contact you regarding any unusual activity.

If bank accounts were opened without your consent, close them.

If your ATM card was stolen, close it and order a new card with a new card number and PIN.

Contact your local police department to file a criminal report
Contact the Social Security Administration’s fraud hotline to report the unauthorized use of your personal identification information.

Notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of your identity theft.

Check to see if any unauthorized license numbers have been issued in your name.

Notify the passport office to watch for anyone ordering a passport in your name
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

Ask for a free copy of “ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen in Your Good Name.”

File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC) by visiting their website: http://www.ic3.gov/

For victims of Internet fraud, ICCC provides a convenient and easy reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.

Identify Theft Resources:
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
http://www.identity-theft-help.us/
http://www.identitytheft.org/
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
http://www.ic3.gov/
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm

Protecting Your Personal Information:
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/privtipsalrt.htm.

Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak with regarding the incident. Follow up your calls with letters. Keep copies of all correspondence.

Please remember to report any suspicious looking emails claiming to be from the Buckhead Community Bank to us immediately. We continually monitor such reports and act on them promptly.