Ozark Bank

"Serving The Ozarks Over A Century."

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Protect Your Identity

The FBI reports that identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the nation. Identity thieves often collect information by searching through trash or stealing mail. Some will contact you on the phone, impersonating law enforcement or other officials to trick you into giving them sensitive information. Ozark Bank takes many steps to help protect against identity theft, but you are in the best position to protect your own identity.

Passwords and PINs

• Your password or PIN can't protect you if it can be guessed. For example, don't create a PIN or password from a family name, birthdate, social security number, addresses, or job title.
• Don't use the same password or PIN for everything. If a thief gets one of your passwords, he will often try the same password elsewhere.
• Don't keep your passwords or PINs with you. They can't protect you if they are stolen.
• Limit the number of ATM, debit, credit, and identification cards you carry in your wallet.
• Be careful and mindful of who is around you at ATMs and when using phone cards. "Shoulder surfers" can get your PIN and gain access to your account.

Trash

Your trash can contain a surprising amount of information about you, and you have little control over where it goes once it leaves your home or business. Use a shredder on items with sensitive information before you throw them away.

Examples of items to shred:

• Cancelled checks
• Expired cards
• Bills
• Account statements
• Charge receipts
• Solicitations for credit cards or instant loans

Mail

• Guard your mail. Promptly remove the mail you receive each day. Deposit outgoing mail at a post office rather than in your mailbox.
• If you are expecting a bill which doesn't arrive on time, call the company that you were expecting the bill from.
• Call your credit card company immediately if your new card doesn't arrive when you expect it to.

Phone

• When you receive a call asking for information, the person on the phone may not be who he or she claims to be. Before giving out sensitive information, ask to call back first. Use a number from the phone book, not a number given to you by the caller.
• Do not give out personal data over the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact.
• Never give out your passwords or PIN numbers. Do not trust anyone that claims they need your password to access or verify your records.

Other Tips

• Review your monthly statements promptly and carefully. Immediately report anything that you question.
• Periodically check your credit report to see if there are loans or credit cards outstanding that you don't know about. You can contact one of the three major credit bureaus to request a credit report.
  • To request a report from Equifax, call (800)685-1111
  • To request a report from Experian, call (888)397-3742
  • To request a report from TransUnion, call (800)916-8800
• Cancel old, unwanted or unused credit cards. Cutting them up is not enough.
• Guard your social security number. Never carry it in your wallet, or write it on checks. Use it only when absolutely necessary. When possible, ask to use other identifiers.
• Take a look at our Internet Safety Tips.
• Connect to the FDIC web site to learn more about Phishing Scams and Identity Theft.

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