Identity Theft Protection

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as many as ten million Americans have their identity stolen each year…

As your bank, we want to help protect you against such fraud.  With a few precautions, you can save yourself countless hours of trying to restore your identity, avoid financial loss, preserve your credit rating and most of all, save yourself from the stress it creates.

What is identity theft?  According to the FTC, identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, such as your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.  Identity theft is a serious crime that is on the rise in the United States. Oregon is no exception.

Consumers can spend thousands of dollars and countless hours restoring their identity.  Therefore, it is important to take the necessary steps to protect your identity.  The FTC recommends the “3-D’s” of identity theft protection: Deter, Detect, and Defend.

Deter:

• Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information
• Protect your Social Security number
• Don’t give out personal information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet, unless you know who you are dealing with
• Never click on links in unsolicited emails (use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software)
• Don’t use an obvious password
• Keep your personal information in a secure place at home

Detect:

• Be alert to signs that require immediate attention
• Inspect your:
• Credit report
• Financial statements

Defend:

• Place a fraud alert on your credit report and review the reports carefully
• Close accounts
• File a police report
• Report your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission

For more information on identity theft and the FTC’s 3-D’s of identity theft protection, visit the following links:

• http://www.FTC.gov
• http://www.USDOJ.gov
• http://www.IdentityTheft.com

At South Valley Bank & Trust, we go to great lengths to protect your identity and your accounts.  Here are a few things we do:

• First, we handle our client information very carefully and confidentially.
• Secondly, we make sure who we’re dealing with!  Although we try to know all of our clients by sight, we may need to occasionally ask a few questions or ask for identification to verify that you are the account owner. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
• Finally, we make sure our system is safe and that no one can get to your account by hacking their way through using technology.  

Youth - Identity Theft Protection

Hey kids, have you heard of Identity Theft? It sounds like something right out of a good mystery book, doesn’t it?!

What is Identity Theft?
Unfortunately, Identity Theft is something that’s real and very true. Just as there are thieves who may break into a car and steal valuables, there are other thieves who may steal someone’s name and information to gain access to their valuables.

For example, your parent’s names have an identity that includes their name, address, telephone number and social security number. If they drive, they also have a Drivers License number. Your identity as a kid will likely be your name, address, telephone number and social security number.

Identity Theft thieves try to steal identities so they can pretend to be someone else to get access to money in accounts or get a loan. It’s dishonest and the police are always trying to catch the thieves.

How can you help in protecting your family?

• Be private about your personal information
• Be private about your family’s personal information
• Never give out personal details when you are on the Internet!
• If someone you don’t know asks for personal information, don’t be afraid to say “NO!” and tell your parents right away. Maybe you could help catch a thief!
• Be especially careful on internet sites where you exchange information with friends. Whatever you say to a friend can be possibly stolen, so never share personal information online!
• When a computer program asks you to create a password, make sure you make up one that would be hard for a thief to guess. For example, if your dog’s name was Marny, here’s a couple of examples:
• NOT good: “marny”
• Much better: !Marny12
  (the combination of using upper case, capital letters, small letters and numbers makes a better choice)

Credit and Debit Cards
Chances are you’ve seen Mom or Dad using these. These cards are a way your parent’s access the money in their personal banking accounts, so make sure you never give out the numbers on the cards - to anyone!

ATM Machines
Thieves love to hang out at the ATM machines. If you’re with your parents, make sure they cover the keypad when they are entering their security Pin Numbers. Also watch to make sure there are no suspicious characters around!