Take a Hike, Fraud – We’ve Got It From Here

Online identity protection has to do with following best practices while you’re banking online, shopping or just surfing the internet. We’re happy to offer overall security assistance with a host of helpful tips and resources!

Great question! Offline security is critical to helping you protect your identity. While online security remains an important and current issue, the majority of identity fraud continues to take place offline.

Following simple guidelines for offline activities can help you protect your privacy and your identity:

• Lock your mailbox. Don’t leave mail in your mailbox longer than necessary – especially if your mailbox doesn’t lock. Also, have the post office hold your mail if you’re traveling, and monitor your mail closely to notice if bills don’t arrive as expected or if you receive unexpected credit cards or a mysterious account statement.
• Don’t give out your private information. Be careful where you share your phone number and Social Security number (and keep your Social Security number in a secure place at home), and ask solicitors or other businesses for their phone number so you have control over communications. It’s also important not to give out personal information in other areas, especially with surveys.
• Copies aren’t necessary. Know your rights regarding copies of your driver’s license. Business transactions, like checking in to a hotel, don’t require a copy of your driver’s license.
• Take advantage of free annual credit reports. Credit reports contain information about your accounts and your bill-paying history. Major nationwide consumer-reporting companies are legally required to provide free copies of your credit reports. Review your credit report each year for accuracy.
• Shred, shred, shred. Shred bills, bank statements, pre-approved financial solicitations and other confidential materials before discarding them.

Malicious emails can come in many forms. In addition to learning about our overall security resources and best practices, here are some simple guidelines you can follow to safeguard your email environment:

• Never give out your email address to unknown sources, and don’t include sensitive information in your emails.
• Never open or respond to spam (unsolicited bulk email messages). Delete all spam without opening it, and don’t open attachments.
• Never click on links within an email you don’t know or trust.
• Beware of bad grammar, spelling and design. These are key indicators of potential fraud.

We make preventing fraud incredibly easy with innovative debit card controls that help you monitor your accounts anytime, anywhere through online and mobile banking. Easily enroll to set up account alerts, review recent transactions and more – all from your computer or our mobile app.

Fraud text alerts are a convenient way to receive detailed notifications in the event we detect suspicious activity on your Gate City Bank debit card. All you need to do is respond to the text message with a “YES” or “NO” to validate or not validate the transaction. (Responses are not case-sensitive.)

It’s simple! If we have your current mobile number on file and we detect suspicious activity on your debit card, you’ll receive a text message. If you reply “STOP,” you’ll no longer receive text messages and will then be notified of fraud alerts via phone calls, emails or a letter in the mail.

If you’re interested in receiving fraud alerts via text message, please make sure that we have your current mobile number on file. To update your mobile number, simply log in to online banking and go to “Profile Updates” under “Profile/Settings,” give us a call at 800-423-3344 or stop by your nearest location to ask to update your contact information.

Great question! Generally, phishing refers to an outreach attempt by a fraudster who uses social engineering to obtain your sensitive personal information via phone, text, email, fax or other means. Fraudulent phone calls – or voice phishing (vishing) – for example, may be made to local phone numbers, and the caller ID may falsely display a specific person’s or institution’s name or phone number. However, these phone calls are likely a scam.

To avoid becoming a victim of a phishing scam:

• Don’t respond to phone calls, emails, faxes or text messages asking you to provide sensitive information immediately.
• Don’t provide personal financial information such as account numbers, debit or credit card numbers or passwords in response to an unsolicited phone call, email, fax or text message, no matter how legitimate it seems.
• Do contact us immediately if you have responded to what you believe may have been a phishing attempt.
• Do contact us at your local phone banking number if you’re unsure about the legitimacy of any phone calls.
• Do review your account transactions regularly and contact us if you find any unauthorized transactions.
• Do keep us informed of your current home and cell phone numbers in the event we need to verify if suspicious activity has occurred.

If you’re a Gate City Bank customer and you receive a phone call asking for your personal financial information from a source you’re not sure you trust, don’t respond! Instead, report the call to us immediately at 800-423-3344 or 701-293-2400.

If you provided your confidential information and have become a victim of fraudulent activity on your Gate City Bank debit card, please contact us. You can rest assured that you’re protected by Gate City Bank and have zero liability.¹