Fraud Alerts

• An identity thief obtains personal information from a victim.
• The thief attempts to and/or succeeds in using the personal information, without the victim's knowledge, for their own use to commit fraud or theft.
• The thief takes advantage of a good credit record, leaving behind bad credit for the victim.
• It normally takes an average victim up to a year to detect a problem.
• Victims of identity theft can spend months/years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess that thieves have made of their good name and credit record.
• Identity theft costs financial firms $2.4 billion a year on average.

• They steal a purse or wallet, personal information from the victim's home, or business information from the workplace.
• From mail boxes, they steal bank statements, pre-approved credit card applications, cancelled checks or tax information.
• By completing a change of address form, they divert your mail to another location.
• They "dumpster dive" for personal data, i.e. credit card receipts, statements, etc.
• By fraudulently obtaining a credit report they pose as a landlord or employer.
• They watch/listen to a victim at an ATM machine or telephone for PINS (personal identification numbers).
• They use personal information obtained from Internet accounts.
• They scam victims through email, posing as legitimate businesses.
• Often called "skimming," a person such as a waiter writes down your card number/expiration date or captures your card info via a small handheld device and makes unauthorized purchases with your information.

• They open a new credit card account in the victim's name, use the card and don't pay bills, resulting in a bad credit report.
• They call the victim's credit card issuer to change the mailing address and run up charges before the victim realizes a loss.
• They establish phone/wireless service in the victim's name.
• They open bank accounts in the victim's name and write bad checks on the account.
• They file for bankruptcy under the victim's name.
• They counterfeit checks or debit cards and drain the victim's bank account.
• They buy cars by taking out auto loans in the victim's name.
• They give the victim's name to police during an arrest. Then after a no show on the court date, an arrest warrant is issued in the victim's name.

• Complete an Identity Theft Affidavit.
• File a police report with the local police or police in the community where the identity theft took place. Obtain a copy of the written report as proof for creditors.
• Close accounts that are known or believed to be tampered with or opened fraudulently.
• Contact CapCom Cu* to put a hold on stolen checks, VISA Credit and Check Cards.
• Contact the credit bureaus to report the fraud. Ask that a fraud alert be placed on your file: Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc: 800-525-6285; Experian Information Solutions, Inc: 888-397-3742 and TransUnion: 800-680-7289.
• Request a credit report and notify the credit bureau of discrepancies.
• Call all credit card companies and let them know you are a victim of identity fraud. Request new cards and account numbers.
• Contact the U.S. Postal Office if your mail was stolen.
• Keep a record of all correspondence with people at credit bureaus, the police and financial institutions.
• To report your Social Security number being used by someone else, contact the Social Security Administration at 800-269-0271.

• In a typical case, you'll receive an e-mail that appears to come from a reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your financial institution. In some cases, the e-mail may appear to come from a government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory agencies.
• The e-mail will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your immediate attention. It will then encourage you to click on a button to go to the institution's website.
• In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony website that may look exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual website. In those cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of harvesting your financial information.

• Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request.
• If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial institution yourself.
• Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request.
• Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct.
• For more information on phishing, visit www.antiphishing.org.
• Report suspicious e-mails or calls to the Federal Trade Commission through the Internet at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.

• Examine your financial statements. Save check stubs, credit, debit and ATM receipts. Shred them when you no longer need them.
• Report discrepancies between your records and monthly statements to the appropriate company.
• Do not carry more credit cards than you will use, your social security card or other nonessential information. Don't give out your Social Security Number unless absolutely necessary.
• Destroy blank checks from closed accounts and expired credit cards.
• Guard your purse or wallet. Thieves often target unoccupied vehicles, unlocked office areas and health club locker rooms.
• Shred or tear up pre-approved credit card offers before you throw them away.
• Check your mail. If you haven't received any mail in several days, you may be the victim of mail diversion fraud.
• Once a year, order a copy of your credit report from one of the major credit bureaus.
• Place passwords on credit card, bank, and phone accounts.
• Secure personal information at home.
• Ask about information security procedures in the workplace.
• Don't give personal information on the phone, through mail, or over the Internet unless self-initiated. Before revealing personal information, ask why it is needed, how it will be used, and if it will be shared with others.
• Guard mail and trash from theft.
• Choose to opt out of pre-approved offers of credit. Call #888-5-OPT OUT.
• Reduce junk mail and telemarketing calls with the Direct Market Association at www.the-dma.org.
• Be wary of promotional scams.
• Don't keep PIN numbers with cards.
• Take precautions to secure all personal information stored in your computer.

• Consumers are advised to be highly suspicious when receiving messages directing them to call and provide credit card or bank numbers.
• Rather than provide any information, the consumer is advised to contact CapCom directly to verify the validity of the message.

• Your signature may reduce the risk of fraud and it allows you to take recourse action against fraudulent transactions if your card is lost or stolen.
• Depending on the merchant's transaction time, the funds are removed from your checking account in one to three days.
• In addition, a higher daily cash limit for a signature-based transaction may be available to you depending on your financial institution's daily cash limit policy.

• With a debit transaction, funds are usually removed from your checking account immediately or within 24 hours.
• A lower daily cash limit for a PIN-based transaction is usually in effect, depending on your financial institution's policy.
• An advantage to a debit transaction is that you can receive cash back as part of the transaction.