Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone finds out your personal information without your knowledge and uses it to commit fraud or theft. Identity thieves only need your name, address, and bank or credit card account numbers, or your social security number to take over your identity. They may change your address, open accounts in your name, run up balances and create a credit nightmare for you.

The total amount lost to consumer fraud and identity theft in the US in 2008 was over $1.8 Billion with over 640,000 complaints filed (Consumer Sentinel Network's 2008 Databook). Identity theft victims spend an average of 30 to 60 hours restoring their good financial names.

City State Bank Wants to Help Protect You Against Identity Theft

The Bank has taken steps to work with you for your protection.

• We will not ask you via e-mail to provide personal or financial information.
• Social security numbers do not appear on our bank statements.
• A telephone password program allows bank employees to confirm our customer’s identity when doing business over the telephone. Each person needs a password and joint owners, like husbands and wives, do not need to use the same password. Telephone Password Protection Form
• Internet Banking Multi-Factor Authentication
• City State Bank Debit Card MasterCard® SecureCode™
• Free Paper Shredding Service Available at the Bank.

Other Ways You Can Help Protect Against Identity Theft

• Check your credit report regularly to ensure that only the transactions that you authorized are on it and that no one has applied for credit in your name.
• Opt-out of receiving unsolicited pre-screened credit card offers by calling the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) at 1-888-5-OPTOUT or go to the DMA website.
• Join the National Do Not Call List - Call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to register or go to the Do Not Call Site.
• Use difficult-to guess passwords on all accounts, on your PC and when using the Internet. Never write down a password.
• Review monthly statements promptly and carefully for discrepancies.
• Call credit card companies immediately if new or renewal cards don't arrive.
• Carry only necessary identification, bank cards and credit cards. Destroy and cancel old, unwanted or unused credit cards.
• Don't give out private information unless you are absolutely sure who the person is and that there is a legitimate need.
• Beware of Phishing - fake e-mails and look-alike web sites that lure you to divulge personal financial information. Do not respond to suspicious e-mails and don't link to the site embedded in the e-mail message. If there is a question about an e-mail's legitimacy, go to the company's site by typing in a known legitimate site address. Report suspicious e-mails to the FTC by going to FTC Identity Theft Website or calling 1-877-IDTHEFT.
• Guard your Social Security number and only give it out when absolutely necessary.
• Shred all receipts and personal documentation no longer necessary to store. This includes as bills, receipts, any documents with account numbers listed, cancelled checks, unsolicited credit card offers and statements.
• Be careful and mindful of those around you when conducting business at ATMs. Someone watching over your shoulder could see your account name, number and PIN number. Always take ATM receipts with you.
• Have a "need to know" approach to your personal data. When asked for personal information, ask why it is needed, if it has to be provided and who will have access to the information.
• Limit the information printed on your personal bank checks, leaving off your SSN and home telephone number.
• Send mail at the post office versus your mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
• Pay and receive bills online through a services such as Paytrust Billpay.
• Contact your local phone carrier to remove your name and address from the telephone book.
• Order a Personal Earnings & Benefit Estimate Statement from the IRS to check for inaccuracies or fraud.

If one or more of the following applies to you, you may be a Victim of Identity Theft.

• Unexplained charges appear on your bank or credit card statements or your cell phone bill.
• You have received calls from collections agencies for accounts you never had.
• You are notified that you have been approved or denied credit for accounts you never requested.
• You have been turned down for jobs or credit and don't know why.

What to Do if You are a Victim of Identity Theft

• Contact your bank and creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
• Close accounts that you know or believe may have been tampered with. Contact all banks, credit-card companies and investment firms with which you have accounts. Ask them to require a PIN or password for all transactions or changes to your accounts, including your mailing address.
• Contact the fraud department of any one of the 3 major credit bureaus.
  Consumers can notify any one of the agencies shown below that they've been a victim of identity theft and that agency will relay the information to the other two bureaus. All three bureaus will then put a "security alert" on the consumer's credit file, remove the person's name from mailing lists for pre-approved offers of credit cards and insurance, and mail the consumer a free copy of his or her credit report.
  Equifax —www.equifax.com
  To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285
  and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
  Experian —www.experian.com
  To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
  and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013
  TransUnion — www.transunion.com
  To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
  and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
• Call the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338). For more information go to the FTC website.
• File a report with the local police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the report to submit to creditors and others that would require proof of the crime.

The information contained on this page is provided as a courtesy to the customers of City State Bank, Central City and Marion, Iowa and the communities it serves. City State Bank cannot be held liable for the use of any information contained therein.