Protecting your personal information is important to you. Protecting your information is just as important to us.
Protect your identity
Protect your personal information. Check your credit card and bank statements carefully and immediately report unauthorized purchases. Reduce your risk of identity theft and mail fraud by signing up for electronic statements through online banking.
- Never write down PINs and passwords on your cards.
- Guard your SSN. Never carry it in your wallet, write it on checks or give it to anyone who calls you.
- Never provide personal, bank account or credit card information to anyone who contacts you through telephone or email solicitation.
- Be careful at ATMs. Make sure no one is watching what you input on the keypad.
- Put passwords on your accounts. Consider using passphrases as they are more difficult to crack.
- Cancel unused debit, credit or ATM cards. Cutting them up is not enough.
- Contact your bank or credit card company if your card is expired and you have not received a new card.
- Go digital by paying your bills through HFB's bill pay feature in online banking.
- Do not use your debit card or credit card online unless the site is secure. Look for a padlock or https in the website's address.
Detect unusual activity
Identity theft is a crime that occurs when someone obtains a person's identifying information, such as their name, Social Security Number or bank account numbers without permission and with the intent to defraud.
If you detect unusual activity on your accounts, credit reports or other suspicious activity, your best defense is to report it immediately.
- Immediately contact your bank to determine if your accounts should be closed and new accounts opened.
- File a report with the police if identity theft has occurred. Request copies of all police reports.
- Contact the fraud departments of each of the tree major credit bureaus by phone and in writing.
- Contact your creditors, by phone and in writing, and inform them of the problem.
- Contact the Drivers License issuing department in your area to determine if a new license has been requested or issued in your name.
Defend by being proactive
Easy. Affordable. Peace of mind. Horizon Financial Bank has partnered with Kroll Advisory Solutions, a worldwide leader in security services, to provide IDTheftSmart™ -- a program designed to provide peace of mind while protecting your identity. HFB personnel can help you find the plan to best fit your needs.
For a nominal monthly fee, IDTheftSmart™ credit monitoring service notifies participating consumers of activity in their credit file. An alert is provided when any one of the following activities is reported:
- New account openings
- Credit inquiries
- Payment delinquencies
- Public record changes
- Change of address
The credit monitoring service allows consumers to identify inaccuracies in credit data being reported by creditors. It also offers consumers early detection of potentially fraudulent activity in their credit file. Credit specialists are available to answer questions and to act on behalf of the consumer and can submit disputes to credit reporting agencies. In the event that a consumer's identity is compromised, restoration services are also provided.
To find out more about these services and the programs available, stop in or call an HFB representative.