If you suspect fraud, contact us right away. Call us at 828-466-1765 or toll-free 877-802-1212.
Report lost or stolen ATM or debit cards: 877-802-1212
Online and mobile banking support: 877-802-1212
Report suspicious email. Peoples Bank will never ask you to provide personal information by email. If you believe you’ve received a phishing email, forward the message to onlineservices@peoplesbanknc.com and delete from your system.
Identity Theft occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other personal information without your permission to commit fraud. At Peoples Bank, we want to help ensure that your private information remains secure – at the bank and in all your transactions.
The following information provides guidelines on how to protect yourself against Identity Theft and minimize the damage if your information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen.
Identity thieves have several ways to obtain your personal information. They might steal your wallet or purse to get your ID, credit cards and debit cards. They also search the trash or steal your mail for bank statements, receipts, credit card offers, health insurance forms, tax information and other financial information. Some thieves access information from offices where you are a customer, employee, patient or student.
To avoid becoming a victim, it’s important to take the following measures to protect your personal information.
Now that you know how Identity Theft can occur, here are some safeguards to lower the chance that it will happen to you:
Protect your Social Security number: Don’t carry your Social Security card with you – leave it in a safe place.
Guard your passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs): Avoid using information such as your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, and the last four digits of your Social Security number or phone number.
Be protective of giving out personal information over the phone or Internet: The best way to know whom you are dealing with is to initiate the phone call or type the Internet address in your browser address bar. Learn more about staying safe online.
Shred financial documents before you throw them out. Also, remove new mail from your mailbox promptly and send outgoing mail from the post office or a secure drop box.
Review your credit report annually for incorrect information. Federal law gives consumers the right to a free credit report every year from the three national reporting agencies. Free credit reports can be requested through www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Peoples Bank customers can also access their full credit report and score at no charge by logging into online banking or our mobile banking app.
Check your financial accounts regularly for charges you did not make. Also, keep a list of all your credit cards and account numbers in a secure location and watch your incoming mail for missing statements.
Find out who has access to your personal information at work. Verify that records are kept in a secure location.
The Federal Trade Commission has a new website which offers step-by-step checklists of what to do right away, and what to do next, depending on the information that’s been stolen or exposed. It lists warning signs indicating your identity was stolen, and gives websites and phone numbers for organizations you’ll need to reach. And, it has sample letters for disputing fraudulent charges, correcting information in your credit reports, and getting business records relating to the theft.
Check out www.identitytheft.gov as your first line of defense against identity theft.
If you suspect your personal information has been misused, take action immediately by following these three steps:
Contact the fraud department of one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The company you call is required to notify the other two credit bureaus to place an alert on their versions of your report. The fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making changes to existing accounts. Also, ask for a free copy of your credit report and request that only the last four digits of your Social Security number appear on your report.
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
800-525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
www.experian.com
TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
800-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Contact your creditors to close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. If you believe your Peoples Bank accounts or credit cards were used fraudulently, contact these numbers:
Peoples Bank Mastercard Debit Card
onlineservices@peoplesbanknc.com
828-466-1765 or toll-free 877-802-1212
Lost or Stolen Mastercard Debit Card 877-805-2316
Peoples Bank Mastercard Credit Cards
800-367-7576
Available 24 hours, 7 days a week
1. Write to:
Peoples Bank
Electronic Banking Department
P.O. Box 467
Newton, NC 28658-0467
2. File a police report with your local police department or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Request a copy of the report to submit as proof to your creditors.
To protect yourself and others against future Identity Theft, it’s important to file your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Complaints are entered into a secure consumer fraud database used by law enforcement agencies for criminal investigations. Filing a complaint helps the FTC prosecute identity thieves and provide victim assistance and education.
Submit the online complaint form at: www.identitytheft.gov
Write to:
Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
Call the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline
Toll free: 877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338)
TTY: 866-653-4261
Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.
For more information about Identity Theft, visit the FTC Web site at www.identitytheft.gov. The site also contains step-by-step instructions that consumers can take to report identity theft.
