What is Phishing?
Phishing (FISHing)Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to attempt to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, and other sensitive information. Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate companies in e-mails to entice people to share passwords or credit card numbers. Oak View National Bank will never send e-mails requesting personal information. We will never ask you to verify personal financial information through an e-mail. We will never ask you to click on a special site link to do so. While emails of this nature may look like they are from us, and may even use our logo, they are likely a “phishing” scam. Do not answer them. If you receive an email purporting to be from us, do not hesitate to call us to confirm it.
How to report Phishing?
We suggest reporting phishing e-mails or spoofed Web sites to the following groups:
- Forward the e-mail to reportphishing@apwg.org.
- Forward the e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.
- Notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center of the FBI by filing a complaint on their website.
Recommended Actions if You've become a Victim of a Phishing Scam
If You Have Given Out Your Credit, Debit, or ATM Card Information
- Report the incident to the card issuer as quickly as possible.
- Report using toll-free numbers and 24-hour service that many companies have established to deal with such emergencies.
- Request your card issuer close your compromised account number and reissue you a new card with a different number.
- Monitor your account activity and review account statements carefully after the information loss.
- If any unauthorized charges appear, call the card issuer immediately and follow up with a hard copy letter via a traditional delivery service such as the U.S. Postal Service (keep a copy for yourself) describing each questionable charge.
If You Have Given Out Your Bank Account Information
- Report the theft of this information to the bank as quickly as possible.
- Request the bank close the compromised account and re-open a like account with a different account number.
If You Have Given Out Your Personal Identification Information
If you believe you have given out personal information such as your name, address, and Social Security number to someone who may use it for fraud:
Contact the three major credit reporting agencies - Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union - and do the following:
- Request that the agencies 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.
Major Credit Bureaus
Equifax
To order your report, call: 800-685-1111 or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.
To report a fraud, call: 800-525-6285 and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.
Hearing impaired call: 800-255-0056 and ask the operator to call the Auto Disclosure Line at 800-685-1111 to request a copy of the report.
To order your report, call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) or write: P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013.
To report fraud, call 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) and write: P.O. Box 9530, Allen, TX 75013. TDD: 800-972-0322.
To order your report, call: 800-888-4213 or write: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022.
To report fraud, call: 800-680-7289 and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634 TDD: 877-553-7803.
Additional Actions to Take
- If bank accounts were set up without your consent, close them.
- 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 whether an unauthorized driver's license number has been issued in your name.
- Notify the passport office to be on the lookout 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,” a guide that will help you guard against and recover from your theft - and guard against it in the future.
- File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by visiting their Web site: www.ic3.gov. IC3 is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), with a mission to address fraud committed over the Internet. For victims of Internet fraud, the Center provides a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of a suspected criminal or civil violation.
- Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak to regarding the incident. Follow up your phone calls with letters. Keep copies of all correspondence.
identity theft resources
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/
http://www.identity-theft-help.us/
http://www.identitytheft.org/
http://www.ic3.gov/
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
best practices to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft
- Restrict the use of public Wi-Fi connections and computers.
- Limit the amount of information you disclose.
- Manage your social media settings, and limit who you share with. Be careful of quizzes that ask personal questions.
- Use unique passwords for each platform.
- Read the fine print when making an online purchase.
- Do not save credit or debit cards when making online purchases.
- Monitor your accounts regularly for suspicious activity.