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At Lafayette Savings Bank, we want you to be protected from identity theft. The following information is intended to help you understand what precautions you can take to help keep your financial information secure.
Lafayette Savings Bank will not...
- Send you any e-mail asking you for account or personal information.
- Send you any e-mail that contains or asks you for account or personal information about you.
- Send you e-mail with embedded links, buttons or other automatic connections to web sites.
Lafayette Savings Bank will….
- Ask you to provide unique information (that only you should know) to confirm your identity when speaking to you by phone
- Communicate with you through Instant Access, our secure Internet banking system.
Lafayette Savings Bank may…
- Ask for photo identification to confirm your identity while you are making a transaction at the bank.
- Send you reminder e-mails indicating that information specifically for you is available within Instant Access, our secure Internet banking system.
You can safeguard your financial information by ….
- Shredding all personal and financial information - such as bills, bank statements, ATM receipts and credit card offers - before you throw them away.
- Keeping your personal documentation (e.g., birth certificate, Social Security card, etc.) and your bank and credit card records in a secure place.
- Calling the post office immediately if you are not receiving your mail. To obtain the personal information needed to use your identity, a thief can forge your signature and have your mail forwarded.
- Limiting the number of credit cards and other personal information that you carry in your wallet or purse.
- Obtaining ID theft insurance. In the event of ID theft, insurance may help offset expenses. Contact your insurance agent for details on a policy. All Lafayette Savings Bank checking accounts offer $2,500 free ID theft insurance - additional insurance is available upon request.
- Opening and reviewing financial statements upon receipt.
- Setting up alerts to notify you when your balance changes by more than a certain amount. This is known as the “Notify Me” feature within Instant Access.
- Reporting lost or stolen credit cards immediately. You may reach Lafayette Savings Bank at 765.742.1064 and 800.704.3084 or VISA at 800.847.2911.
- Reviewing any inactive credit card accounts. Even when not being used, these accounts appear on your credit report, which is accessible to thieves. If you have applied for a credit card and have not received the card in a timely manner, immediately notify the appropriate financial institution.
- Reviewing your credit reports annually.
- Using passwords on your credit cards, bank accounts and phone cards. Avoid using the obvious passwords - your mother's maiden name, your birth date or the last four digits of your Social Security or phone number.
- Using strong passwords that include a combination of numbers, special characters, and both upper- and lower-case letters.
You can safeguard your debit or credit card accounts by…
- Being aware of your surroundings when entering your Personal Identification Number (PIN).
- Closely monitoring the expiration dates on your credit cards. Contact the credit issuer if the replacement card is not received prior to your credit card's expiration date.
- Signing or adding a “see ID” note to all new credit cards upon receipt.
- Matching your credit card receipts against monthly bills to ensure there are no unauthorized charges.
You can safeguard your online practices by…
- Being alert for scam emails. These may appear to come from a trusted business or friend but are actually designed to trick you into downloading a virus or link to a fraudulent Web site and disclosing sensitive information.
- Not replying to any email that requests your personal information.
- Being very suspicious of any email from a business or person that asks for your password, Social Security number or other highly sensitive or personal information.
- Doing business only with companies you know and trust.
- Being aware! Phony "look alike" web sites are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information. Make sure that web sites on which you transact business post their privacy and security statements, and review them carefully.
- Only opening emails when you know the sender. Be especially careful about opening an email with an attachment. Even a friend may accidentally send an email with a virus.
- Being cautious when clicking on a link contained in an email or other message. The link may be fraudulent.
- Being cautious! If you get an email that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be closed unless you reconfirm your billing information, do not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or web site address you know to be genuine.
- Selecting good, strong passwords and using them everywhere.
- Promptly applying system and product patches.
- Running anti-virus software configured to update daily, using on-access/on-demand scanning, and performing a full scan at least weekly.
- Using a firewall (either software or hardware) and configure for the most restrictive setting that still allows you to do required work.
- Not giving out financial or personal information over the Internet, through the mail or on the phone unless you initiated the contact or are sure you know the party with whom you are dealing.
- Memorizing personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. Never write them on access cards or store them where they can easily be found, such as in wallets, purses, and desks or on computers.
- Thinking BEFORE you click!!
If you become a victim of identity theft, you should….
- Call credit reporting agencies and ask that a fraud alert be placed on your report (use the same contact information above).
- Call your financial institutions and credit card companies.
- Notify the police.
- Call 1-877-IDTHEFT (877-438-4338).
- Contact your insurance agent.
Additional Resources
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