Cybersecurity Tips

Fraud

In today’s world, it is more important than ever to protect your personal and your financial information. The fraudsters, scammers, and thieves never take a break. This is why you should remain vigilant in protecting your personal information. There are some simple steps we can all take to help prevent becoming victims. They cannot eliminate the threats we face, but they can help to deter them.

Here are some simple tips to help protect your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

• Shred any old documents or discarded mail with personal information
• If you receive a letter, email, or phone call promising you something that sounds too good to be true, chances are that it is too good to be true!
• Never give your personal or account information out to a caller if you did not initiate the call! If you have a relationship with that company, they already have your information and will not call you to ask for it!
• Do not click on links in emails asking you to verify your user name and password information. You just may be giving thieves the information they need to access your account information!
• If you receive a check in the mail for lottery winnings or any other unexpected winnings and you are asked to send money to take care of “taxes” or “processing fees” for your winnings, this is fraud! If it seems too good to be true……….more than likely it is! Don’t become the victim of a scam.
• If you receive a letter or call threatening you for any number of reasons, and the payment demand is required in pre-paid cards to settle the matter, this is a scam!
• Always make sure your electronic devices are password protected, including your phone!
• Keep all electronic devices current on operating system updates, anti-virus and malware protection.
• Do not share your user credentials with anyone.
• Do not open emails from unknown senders.
• Do not click on links in an email unless you trust the sender. And if you do, be leery of any link asking you to provide account credentials of any type.
• Attachments to emails can contain threats such as malware, viruses, etc. If you don’t know the sender, don’t open the attachment. If you do know the sender but were not expecting an attachment, verify with them BEFORE opening the attachment. Take the extra step to protect yourself!

Identity Theft

It has been said that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Identity theft occurs when one person's identification (which can include name, social security number, or any account number) is used or transferred by another person for unlawful activities. To help prevent this from happening to you please keep in mind the following tips:

• DO NOT give your social security number, mother's maiden name or account numbers to strangers who contact you by phone, internet or mail, unless you initiated the contact with them.
• Put passwords on credit, bank and phone accounts and keep them in a secure place.
• Do not carry your social security card.
• Make a photocopy of the contents of your wallet. Keep the copy in a secure place.
• Tear or shred all information with your name, account number or social security number or any type of receipts.
• Keep your ATM or Debit Card PIN a secret.

If you would like to inspect your credit report, the major credit bureaus are:

What To Do If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

• Report the identity theft to the police or sheriff in the area where you live.
• Report the identity theft to your financial institution & other creditors.

For More Information

• Social Security Administration: 1-800-772-1213
• Identity Theft Response Center: 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338)
• Federal Trade Commission: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
• State of Nebraska Official Website: http://www.nebraska.gov, search under Identity Theft
• Foundation One Bank: 402-502-5558