IDENTITY THEFT
What You Should Know About Identity Theft
Identity theft is when someone pretends that they are you when committing a crime. Crimes involving identity theft or impersonation are on the rise and are now the types of crimes that are most frequently reported to the Federal Trade Commission. The crime could be in person, over the telephone or Internet, or through the mail. This increasing trend is mainly attributable to technology. As technology continues to evolve, criminals are developing new ways to exploit or defraud organizations and consumers alike, including attempts to access bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and/or steal credit information or identities.
Both state and federal governments continue to enact legislation to help protect consumers and Seacoast Commerce Bank is diligent it its efforts to protect customers' information. In our continuing effort to safeguard your privacy we've implemented number of enhanced security and identification measures. These efforts include:
Requiring more identification when opening new accounts
We do not provide check verifications
Installation of ultraviolet verification equipment to detect counterfeit IDs, check and currency
How You Can Prevent Identity Theft
Report any lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
Pay attention to billing cycles and call if you do not receive an expected bill in a timely manner. If may mean that an identity thief has diverted the bill.
Place outgoing mail in post office collection boxes only.
Shred all of your receipts and all bank and credit card statements before disposing of them.
Review your credit report from all three major credit bureaus to make certain that new credit card or other accounts have not been opened in your name. Credit Bureau contact information is listed below.
Make sure personal and financial information stored on your personal computers are protected with a password.
Avoid using automatic login features that save your user name and password; and always log off when you're finished.
Install and use a firewall on your personal computers. A firewall helps prevent hackers from accessing your computer.
Install virus protection software on your computer and make sure it is updated on a regular basis.
Do not give anyone your financial information unless you initiate the contact or are sure with whom you are dealing.
Never disclose your PIN or password to anyone and always safeguard it.
Don't print your social security number or driver's license number on your checks.
Don't download files or click on hyperlinks in emails from un-rusted sources.
Watch out for "phishing" or "spoofing" e-mails that may look like they are legitimate messages, but they are not. The sender attempts to get you to reveal confidential personal information that can be used for identity theft. Seacoast Commerce Bank will not contact you via e-mail to ask for or to validate any of your personal information.
What to Do If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft
Notify Seacoast Commerce Bank at (619) 476-7776 along with any other financial service providers.
File a report of identity theft with your local police.
Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to report the incident and ask to have a fraud alert placed on your file. Once the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts, and all three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge. Review your credit reports and notify the bureaus about anything that looks suspicious.
Credit Bureaus
Equifax - www.equifax.com
To order a report, call: 800-685-1111
To report fraud, call: 800-525-6285
TDD 800-255-0056 and write:
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian - www.experian.com
To order a report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
To report fraud, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TDD 800-972-0322 and write:
P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion - www.transunion.com
To order a report, call: 800-888-4213
To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289/
TDD 877-553-7803; fax 714-447-6034; or write: Fraud Victim Assistance
Department, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634-6790
For additional information about identity theft we recommend you visit http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html or call 1-877-IDTHEFT, the FTCs toll free ID Theft Hotline.
