Fraud Alerts
Fraud Prevention Tips
Lock up your mail.
If you can't get your mail as soon as it's delivered, get a locking mail box or install a mail chute to prevent thieves from plucking out envelopes that contain personal information. Mail bills from a corner box or the post office. Arrange to have your mail held at the post office when you're away.
Avoid sweepstakes, free offers and psychics.
Signing up for any of these can put your name on mailing lists that are sold and resold, sometimes to scammers.
Leave your Social Security number at home.
Never carry your Social Security card with you unless you know you'll need it that day.
Watch your wallet.
Don't leave purses in grocery cart baskets or set them on the floor without looping a strap around your ankle. Never leave a purse or wallet in an unattended car.
Shred sensitive info.
Shred or tear up documents with personal information on them, including bills and credit card statements, before you throw them away. If you have a fireplace, burn them.
Check your credit report.
You're entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit bureaus. (I recommend ordering from a different credit bureau every four months.) When you get your report, make sure accounts listed on your report are yours and that any company listed as having viewed your report had a legitimate reason to do so. To get your report, call 1-877-322-8228 or visit the only official site for a free credit report www.annualcreditreport.com.
Watch out for scams.
Employment, sweepstakes, government grant and similar scams can trick you into exposing personal information to scammers. If you get a call or email from your bank warning you of a security breach, it could be a scam aimed at getting your account information.
Beef up passwords.
Use hard-to-guess passwords, not easy ones like your birthday, sequential numbers or your kids' names. Longer passwords that combine numbers and capital and lowercase letters are harder to crack than short PINs that contain all numbers or lowercase letters.
Protect your computer.
Make sure your computer has a good firewall and regularly update anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
Look before you click.
View e-mail before you open it, if your Internet service allows you that option. Close pop-up boxes using the "X" box in the corner, not by clicking on the "close" button.
Shop safe.
Before you enter account information or passwords into a site, look for an "s" after the "http" in the address (which indicates it's secure) or for a broken key icon that turns into a lock when the site is secure.
Ignore phishing e-mails.
Never respond to e-mail alerts that warn your account has been compromised or is about to be shut down. Thieves often use names of legitimate companies - eBay, PayPal, your bank, etc. - in this scam. Clicking on links in these e-mails could infect your computer with viruses or lead you to a spoof site designed to lure you into sharing personal information. Your safest bet is to delete them unopened.
Watch your back.
Log out or sign off when you're done with an account or password protected site. Quitting a site without logging out could allow others to view your information. Be especially wary using public terminals.
Never e-mail personal information or account numbers.
E-mail is not secure.
Additional Information
Other websites that have valuable information regarding Fraud and Identity Theft are listed below.
Federal Trade Commission
https://www.ftc.gov/
Oklahoma Bankers Association Fraud Prevention
http://www.oba.com/bankers/fraud_prevention.php
Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
http://www.ic3.gov
Please contact us at (800) 522-4079 if you think your account has been compromised or if we can help you with any other banking needs.
