Identity Theft Awareness Week: Report Suspicious Activity

Identity Theft Awareness Week is January 26-30. Resolve to protect your identity this New Year by reporting suspicious activity to the bank or credit card agency immediately.

Fraudsters often use emotional manipulation and urgency to get you to give up your personal information—which is intimidating! The FTC suggests creating an action plan you can follow if you think you gave up personal or financial information to a scammer. Know who you can talk to, who you trust, and what to do if you think someone targeted you with a scam. Click here to learn more about the FTC’s Fraud Action Plan.

Follow these steps if you think you were tricked into giving information to a scammer:

• Contact the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov or 877.438.4338 to file an identity theft report and get a recovery plan to help you reclaim your identity.
• Contact each of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, to freeze your credit reports. You should also ask them to set a fraud alert, which alerts creditors that they need to verify your identity before opening any new credit accounts or increasing existing credit limits.
• Report the fraud to the bank, credit card issuer, utility company, or other service provider involved. Also let us know, so we can help you secure your accounts with us.
• If your computer or mobile devices were involved, contact a computer security company to examine your systems
• Contact the local police to file a report.

Want to learn more about Identity Theft Prevention?  

This Identity Theft Awareness Week, we’ve equipped you with the information you need to protect your personal information all year round. Visit our Identity Theft Awareness Week webpage for more resources or drop by any office to pick up a free Identity Theft brochure.

North Shore Bank and Abington Bank are here to protect you.

Your security is our priority. Remember, we will NEVER contact you to ask you for personal or financial information. Contact 877.380.2265 or stop by your nearest office if you think you’ve been the victim of fraud.