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 if we ever 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 in question. (Responses are not case-sensitive.)

To receive fraud text alerts, make sure your mobile number is updated in online banking by navigating to “Tools,” then selecting “Settings” and “Contact.” If you’re using the mobile app, tap “More” at the bottom of your screen, then choose “Settings” and “Contact Information.”

If we have your current mobile number on file and we detect suspicious activity on your debit card, you’ll automatically receive a text message. If you reply “STOP,” you’ll no longer receive text messages and will instead be notified of fraud alerts via phone, email or letters in the mail. (Text responses are not case-sensitive.)

To update your mobile number in online banking, navigate to “Tools,” then click “Settings” and “Contact.” If you’re using the mobile app, tap your profile icon at the top-right corner of your screen, then choose “Settings” and “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.

A phishing scam occurs when a criminal impersonates a trustworthy source to trick you into sharing sensitive personal information, such as passwords or account numbers. They most often reach out through deceiving emails or phone calls.

To avoid becoming the victim of a phishing scam:

• Don’t respond to urgent, unsolicited requests for personal information.
• Don’t share account numbers, card numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords or any other sensitive information, no matter how legitimate the request may seem.
• Do contact us if you’re unsure about the legitimacy of any requests.
• Do regularly review account transactions and contact us if you notice any unauthorized activity.
• Do keep your contact information updated with us in case we need to verify suspicious activity.
• Do contact us immediately if you believe you’ve responded to a phishing attempt.

A phishing scam occurs when a criminal pretends to be a trusted source to trick you into revealing sensitive information, like passwords or account numbers. These scams are typically carried out through misleading emails or phone calls.

If you believe that you’ve become the target of a phishing scam, don’t respond! Instead, contact us immediately to report it. But if you’ve accidentally provided your confidential information, please still reach out so we may assist you further. Rest assured, you won’t be held subject if the situation is reported quickly and other conditions are met.

Important note: To protect your personal and financial information, we suggest that you never share the following details (which we will never ask for):

• Debit card information
• Personal identification number (PIN)
• Account numbers
• User IDs and passwords