Community First Bank in Fairview Heights

If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep records of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a "fraud alert" on your credit reports, and add a "victim's statement" to your file requesting that creditors contact you before opening new accounts in your name.

2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Call and speak to someone in the security or fraud department. Follow up in writing sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.

3. File a "Miscellaneous Incidents" report at a police station where the identity theft occurred, and get a copy of the police report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime.

4. File a complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission. You can file a complaint online at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/; call 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); or write to:
Identity Theft Clearinghouse, FTC
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20580

How Do ID Thieves Get Your Personal Information?

Skilled identity thieves use a variety of ways to gain access to your personal information. For example, they may:

Steal your wallet or purse.
Steal your mail.
Complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
Rummage through your trash or public trash dumps.
Collect your information through e-mail or phone, sometimes by pretending they're from a legitimate company and claiming that you have a problem with your account.

Remember: Banks will never request confidential account information over the phone or through e-mail.

Has Someone Stolen Your Personal Information?

If you fear that someone has stolen your personal information, here are some indications that identity theft may have occurred:

Failing to receive bills or other mail on time.
Receiving credit cards for which you did not apply.
Denial of credit for no apparent reason.
Receiving calls from debt collectors or companies about products or services you didn't buy.

Precautions You Should Take:

Carefully monitor the balances and statements of all your financial accounts.
Look for unexplained charges or withdrawals.
Place passwords on all of your financial accounts.
Limit the number of credit cards or other identifying information that you carry.

Tear or shred any identifying information before throwing it away. Don't forget pre-approved credit offers, charge receipts, checks and bank statements and insurance forms.
Update the virus protection software on your PC regularly; do not open files from strangers or companies you don't know.
Use a "wipe" utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive before disposing of a computer.

Protect Your Identity with a Free Credit Check

A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act entitles all individuals living in the United States to a free credit report, at their request, once every 12 months from each of the nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

To order your free annual report from one or all of the national credit bureaus, visit www.annualcreditreport.com; call toll-free (877)322-8228; or click here (requires Adobe Reader) to print and complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348

Note: Do not contact the three nationwide credit bureaus directly; they provide free annual credit reports only through the Annual Credit Report Request Service.

Reporting Fraud to the Credit Bureaus

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening accounts in your name. Contact one of the credit bureaus below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The company you call is required to forward the information to the other two, which will also place an alert on your report.

Equifax www.equifax.com
To report fraud, call: (800) 525-6285
or write:
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian www.experian.com
To report fraud, call: (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742)
or write:
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion www.transunion.com
To report fraud, call the Fraud Victum Assistance Division: (800) 680-7289
or write:
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634

The content on this page appears in the brochure "Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft" (requires Adobe Reader); produced by the Independent Community Bankers of America and distributed for free in the bank's lobby.

For additional help, please visit "Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft" (requires Adobe Reader) produced by the Federal Trade Commission.